The Warring Heart
by The Weaver of Dreams
Summary: When two people collide who are total opposites, conflict is sure to ensue. But when the good and bad blend gray, and obvious choices made unclear, will two hearts be able to stand as one, or will the weight of the world tear them apart? !DISCONTINUED!
1. Clear skies

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

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**Chapter 1: Clear Skies**

A soft breeze played in Katara's chocolate tresses sending a strong waft of salty ocean air under her nose. The sun shined brightly, blessing the group of friends with its warmth as they floated dreamily through the cool crisp air on the mammoth bison Appa. Her brother Sokka sat lazily in the saddle and sharpened his cherished boomerang with the look of sheer boredom plastered on his young boyish face. Meanwhile Aang cheerfully relaxed on Appa's head loosely holding the reigns while a cuddled lemur named Momo slept cozily beside him.

Katara relished these serene moments with her friends. They temporarily distracted her from their missions sending her into the illusion of peace, but with the stressful life that they lived, any reprieve would be appreciated. Not to long ago a power hungry prince was on their tails, nearly succeeding in his goal of capturing the Avatar. Prince Zuko seemed to always be one step ahead of them, always showing up at the worst possible moments. Katara hated confrontations with the Fire Nation mainly because they would cause a loved one to enter dangerous situations. She shook the thoughts from her mind; contemplating on such things would ruin a perfect day.

"Hey Aang, I think were all out of supplies" muttered a hungry Sokka

"We'll stop soon, Appa's tired anyway. There should be land somewhere" the boy replied

"Good cuz I'm hungry."

"Sokka can't you think of anything but your stomach?" Katara asked

"There are other things than my stomach?" The young warrior answered, with a look of bewilderment on his face.

They all laughed at his idiotic reply, adding to the blissful enjoyment of their long journey.

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Arcs of flames viciously ripped through the air in a dark metal room, revolving around an aggravated and angry Zuko. The fires licked imaginary foes; while the prince's precise and sharp movements left them in shambles. The center of Zuko's frustration was the delayed event of capturing of the Avatar. Again that boy slipped through his grasp, denying him his longed desire of returning home. The mere thought of this sent the prince into wild raging attacks which bathed the room with fire.

"Take a rest Prince Zuko before you hurt yourself."

The enraged boy did not care for his concerned uncle's advice and continued with a flurry of attacks.

"Perhaps some tea would calm you?" Iroh suggested

"I don't want any of your tea! What I want is the Avatar!" Zuko snapped

"And how will slashing through air bring you closer to this? If you don't rest when you go to catch the Avatar you will be out of breath!"

Zuko sighed, unfortunately his uncle was right. His training would increase his chances of completing his goal, but without proper rest his training would be useless. Zuko made one last jab at his invisible opponent before breathing deeply and taking part in a quick meditation to calm him. He grabbed his heavily embellished robe and placed it upon his sturdy and well built torso.

"Now don't you feel better?" His uncle cheerfully asked.

Zuko grunted and left the room leaving his uncle behind. Zuko paced up the stairs to the main deck and was met with a cold breeze that pricked at his skin. The sun was losing an age old battle leaving behind a trail of blood across the sky, mixed with the cool hues of its foe. The last fading light reflected into Zuko's golden eyes giving them an unnatural glow.

The Avatar had to be close; he had been in hot pursuit of him since their last encounter which was about a week ago. Zuko had pressed the captain to maintain top speed. He was not going to let that boy escape him easily.

A sailor cautiously approached the hot headed prince.

"Sir, there is land in sight. We saw the Avatar's bison heading in that direction. What are your orders?" the man nervously questioned

Zuko quietly thought about the man's question before coming to a solution.

"Tell the helmsman to steer towards it and to be prepared to dock"

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The giant bison rested upon a hill top surrounded by bits of exotic flora. Down one side of the hill, a dark ocean met with a sandy beach. On the opposite side was magnificent view of the island. Rolling hills were littered with towering trees which bowed to a massive white capped mountain. An enormous black garment dressed the clear sky, decorated with millions of sparkling diamonds.

Katara was exhausted, she had fished by using waterbending, help set up camp, and had aided her friends in gathering wild fruits and such for later consumption. On top of that they had been traveling for two days, not that it was hard work, but traveling for hours on end on bison's back in a saddle is very uncomfortable no matter how nice the surroundings are. The three friends currently sat upon the soft earthen ground resting near a toasty fire.

"Hey Aang, do you think we lost Zuko?" Katara wearily asked

"I should think so; we haven't seen him for about a week." Aang cheerily answered

"Doesn't that guy have a life? I bet this guy wakes up every single morning with one thought, capture the Avatar." Sokka angrily stated while rolling his cerulean eyes

"That would get boring" Aang laughed "But underneath all that armor I bet he's a really nice guy"

"Face it Aang, that guy has a lump of coal for a heart" argued the Water Tribe warrior

"That's what probably keeps his fire burning" Katara playfully added

They all had a good laugh, even Momo clicked at the excitement.

Katara thoughtfully gazed over the land. How nice it would be if this war was over. She wanted nothing more than to return home to the Southern Water Tribe and see Gran Gran. She missed everything she left behind dearly, but it could not be helped. Aang needed her and she promised that she would be there for him.

Katara continued to stare out into the distance when something caught her eye.

Smoke…

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**A/N:** This is basically the introductory chapter, trust me the story gets a lot better! 


	2. The Burning Flame

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

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**Chapter 2: The Burning Flame  
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Red flames hungrily reached into the air slowly eating what it came into contact with. Zuko smiled at his accomplishments, he had managed to kill two birds with one stone. Firstly he and his men eliminated a rebel fortress within the Earth Kingdom; secondly this commotion would surely attract the heroic Avatar. There had been reports of a flying beast in the area, and Zuko knew a flying animal could only mean one thing, the Avatar.

"Sir!" A warrior saluted the prince before continuing "There are civilians who are fleeing the battle, what are you're orders?"

"Let them go" Zuko calmly said. As hot headed as he was, even he knew needless bloodshed would not be necessary.

"Attack only those who resist our efforts." The prince ordered.

"Yes Sir!" The soldier hurriedly left the prince's presence to spread the word.

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The trio speedily ran in the direction of the smoke. Loose twigs and spider webs constantly found their way to Katara's face. The cold air cut through her lungs as she struggled to keep up with her friends.

"What do you think could be the source of the smoke?" Sokka urgently asked

"I don't know but I hope it's not what I think" Katara huffed

As they drew closer, spine chilling shrieks were heard, confirming Katara's fear. As she drew closer she noticed the sky was brightened by an orange glow. _Just a few more steps…_ Katara finally reached the top of the hill and looked at the scene below.

Fire was everywhere. In between the roaring flames massive groups of soldiers gathered and added to the destruction. People fled in every direction to escape the flames which devoured their homes. Aang was already down the hill sending a blast of wind towards the Fire Nation soldiers causing them to fly through the warmed air. Katara looked closer and saw a heavily armored boy amongst the soldiers…Zuko.

Katara knew that this would be a losing battle, but she was not about to stand by idly and watch innocent people get hurt without a fight. The young girl took a deep breath for confidence and rushed down the hill to aid her friends. She removed the cork from her water skin that she carried on her back and gracefully bended its contents into a fierce whip. She struck a charging soldier in the face with the controlled liquid, following her attack she elegantly executed a different technique which sent the water crashing into the center of his chest, forcing him to fall back.

Katara gazed up from her fallen opponent to notice a number of soldiers were closing in on her. _Not good… _She looked to her companions for help but they faced the same issue._ Not good!_ A soldier aimed streams of angry fire towards her. Katara found that she couldn't counterattack and could only dodge. A few of the surrounding men joined in the attack by either throwing punches or throwing fire. She tried her best to defend herself but her efforts could only keep her opponents at bay. Where was Aang when you needed him most? Katara certainly felt that now was one of the best times the monk should show off his Avatar abilities. She bended the small remainders of her water supply into a short whip. It was only a matter of time until they would be upon her…

"Katara! Aang!" Sokka urgently screamed "There's too many of them we have to retreat!"

Her brother's voice sent the relief of escape to her agitated mind. Aang nodded and sent a gust of air to momentarily give his friends some distance from their enemies. _Thank goodness_ she thought quickly while immediately sprinting for the forest line along with Sokka and Aang. She could hear the heavy footsteps of the soldiers close behind. Katara forced herself to look ahead, concentrating on the path before her. At this point she wouldn't care how long they were stuck on Appa just as long as they were away from Zuko and his men.

The trio stopped where the road broke into three sections.

"Which way should we go?" Katara panted.

"My instincts tell me that we should split up. That way Zuko would have a slimmer chance of capturing Aang and it would create a diversion. We all know where Appa is, just head towards the ocean." Replied a confident Sokka

"Are you sure?" she questioned skeptically. Sokka's instincts should never be fully trusted.

"You guys we don't have much time!" Aang urged

"Alright, we'll split up and meet back at the campsite" Katara responded "good luck you guys!"

She hurriedly ran down her path. Low branches and twigs whipped by her as her legs maintained top speed. Here and there her body would leap through the air to dodge fallen logs or stones. Her legs began to numb and she was way out of breath, but still she ran. After what seemed like hours of running, Katara approached a clearing in the trees which held a lovely pond and decided to rest. The sound of multiple footsteps had stopped long ago, and if anyone had followed her she now had an abundance of her element to defend herself with.

_I hope Aang and Sokka are aright_ she thought. Katara drearily staggered over to the pond, slumped to her knees and sipped the cool refreshing water. After drinking her fill, she crawled next to a tree and propped herself against it. She was dreadfully tired; her whole body ached from constant strain. Her clothing was drenched in sweat and every passing breeze would send chills through her body. The sweet lull of sleep tugged at her weary conscious and she desperately fought it. Katara knew she couldn't sleep, not when her friends might be in trouble. Suddenly a crack of a twig was heard followed by the faint sound of footsteps. She stumbled to her feet and took a defensive stance, preparing for whatever was coming.

_It's probably a solider._ Katara smugly thought. She could easily take one solider but when they were in massive numbers did she have problems, especially if she didn't have a good water source; but she had a pond worth of water at her dispense, and one solider would be no match for her. The sound of the footsteps grew closer; she tightened her stance, ready to attack the first thing that moved.

A dark figure slowly moved out of the clearing, its yellow eyes glaring viciously on its prey. Katara's eyes grew wide; her heart pounded fiercely in her ears. Her pursuer was none other than Prince Zuko. His posture was intimidating, showing little weakness. He looked like a vicious predator gazing upon its prey before feeding.

"Where is the Avatar!" He barked

Katara was frozen with fear. She knew this was going to be a losing battle. She knew she couldn't take him, even if she were fully rested he still would be a difficult challenge especially since she was untrained. A bright flame appeared in his hand. Katara stared into the light wide eyed, in awe of its potential danger. Had the flame not been so threatening, she might have ventured to call it beautiful.

"Where is the Avatar! Answer me!"

"Like I would tell you anything!" she blurted

He drew closer; it was obvious he was going to attack; Katara decided she was going to strike before he did. She bended the water so it sent a massive wave toward her foe. He effortlessly turned the water to steam and before Katara could blink, she was hoisted into the air by his strong hand which gripped tightly around her slender neck. Katara struggled for air, only managing to get short gasps through her constrained windpipe. Terror flooded her drained body.

"Are you going to cooperate?" He hissed

"I don't know where Aang is."

It was true she didn't know where Aang or her dimwit brother was. She felt Zuko's golden eyes glaring at her, studying her face for any sign of emotion that would prove her statement false. She prayed that her friends would find her as they always would. They would always rescue her at the last minute when things began to look the worst. Her eyes studied the trees and the air, looking for some sign of her rescuers; but no one was there; she was completely alone.

"Pathetic" Zuko growled

The last thing Katara saw was Zuko's hand pull back before violently connecting with her diaphragm. Darkness overcame her and for the time she was free.

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Vicious balls of fire fiercely tore through the air towards Aang and Sokka. Aang continuously sent gusts of air towards his opponents, but for every five he knocked down ten rose up and took their place. Even the battling Appa became overwhelmed by the growing number of soldiers.

"Sokka we have to get out of here!" Aang pleaded while desperately trying to keep himself and his battle driven friend from their enemies.

"Not without Katara! We can't leave her!" The warrior cried

"Sokka there are too many soldiers! We won't be any help to her if we're captured!"

Sokka thought about his friend's advice. The boy cursed to himself and reluctantly began retreat towards a growling bison. He fought ferociously through the crowd of soldiers to reach his friend. He bashed an approaching enemy before climbing into the bison's saddle. Aang hurriedly climbed to Appa's head and grabbed the reigns.

"Appa, Yip, Yip!"

The bison gave a groan and lifted off into the starry skies. Aang deflected incoming fireballs with blasts of air while Sokka curled into a corner of the saddle burying his face in his knees. Tears trickled down the side of his face as he blamed himself for the loss of his sister.

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**A/N**: End of chapter two! I know it's kind of short but I had a lot of fun writing this one. And so the story starts….


	3. The Captor and the Captured

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

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**Chapter 3: The Captor and the Captured**

Katara slowly opened her eyes to a surrounding darkness. It was unbearably cold, and whatever she was on was softly swaying. She rubbed her hand on the ground; the floor was cold, hard and rugged. She felt around more…bars. She was in a prison. A familiar scent registered in her mind giving her some comfort. A salty aroma seemed to hug her senses reminding her of her friends. Her friends…Where were they? Slowly the events of the previous night dawned on her. She had been taken prisoner.

"Someone please let me out!" she cried. "Is anyone there? Please someone let me out!"

No one answered. She curled up into a corner and pressed her knees into her chest. _I wonder how Aang and Sokka are…_ Why did she listen to her brother and his stupid instincts? If they never split up they might all be together now, enjoying the picked fruit, laughing the day away. She wondered if they were safe… With all her heart she hoped so.

It seemed like hours before the sound of footsteps were heard. A heavy click from the door confirmed someone was coming. A dim light spread through the room weakly fighting the darkness. A lamp was lit to aid the fight.

Katara squinted her eyes, she couldn't see well but she had a good guess of who was standing in font of her cage. She felt their gaze burning into her, shredding her apart with disgust.

"What do _you_ want?" she dryly asked

"You are _my_ prisoner an _I_ will be asking the questions" answered the infamous Prince Zuko "What was the Avatar's destination?"

"Avatar this, Avatar that. Don't you do anything else other than worry about the Avatar? If you haven't guessed by now, I'm not telling you anything!" She snapped

"You rude, insignificant, wench! How dare you speak to _me _like that!" The lamp's light flared with his anger creating intense spasms of brightness.

"It's about time _someone_ did!"

A flame hurtled itself toward her. She closed her eyes and shoved her hands in front of her face bracing herself for the impact. Fortunately it hit the wall behind her just missing her head, but close enough that it burned any stray strands of her chocolate hair.

"The next time you make an outburst like that, I guarantee I won't miss. What was the Avatar's destination?"

Katara didn't say anything, partly because she was terrified. She decided that she would try to keep her outbursts to a minimum, lest she be incinerated.

Suddenly a loud, moaning, growl was voiced by Katara's stomach. She quickly held her hand to her complaining belly trying to muffle its cries. The sides of Zuko's lips began to slowly curl upwards. Katara already didn't like what was coming.

"Are you hungry?" he didn't wait for her answer "Well how about this, when you want to tell me about your precious Avatar you'll get to eat"

Katara glared at him. She felt like breaking through the iron bars and strangling him. He chuckled to himself, blew out the candle and left Katara alone in the darkness.

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The young prince ascended the steps that would take him the main deck. Dark metal walls surrounded him contradicting the boy's mood. His footsteps were softened by the bright red and gold mat which stretched along the center of the hallway. Fires flickered happily on their torches which hung symmetrically upon dark walls. Zuko felt very pleased with himself. That girl would not be able to last too long without food. She was no warrior, just a spoiled little girl. By afternoon at the latest she would be telling him everything about the Avatar, strengths, weaknesses, anything his heart desired.

Zuko reached into his pocket and pulled out a choker with a single token in the center. If his plan didn't work, he might be able to bribe her with it. He studied the necklace briefly before returning it to his pocket.

Zuko climbed the metal steps to the main deck. For once in a long time, it was a beautiful day. The cerulean blue skies corresponded perfectly with the rich blue water. White puffs futilely tried to cover the sky's nakedness while the sun rejoiced in the air, shining brightly to whomever was under its comforting warm rays. Zuko smiled to himself, he was one step closer to capturing the Avatar, one step closer to going home…

"Prince Zuko, you seem like you are in a good mood!" Iroh cheerily observed

"Yes Uncle, I am closer to achieving my goal."

"The men were telling me that you had captured a prisoner"

"Yes, one of the Avatars companions"

"You wouldn't mind if I visited them, would you?"

Zuko thought about this, He wasn't sure he really wanted his Uncle to interfere. There was a good chance that he might ruin his plans. On the other hand, it was his uncle, the only familiar person he knew since that incident…

"Whatever, do what you like" Zuko muttered

"Thank you dear nephew" Iroh turned from the prince heading towards the bottom of the ship.

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Katara felt miserable, she was hungry and depressed. Warm tears stopped their flow long ago and she was only left with silent sobs. She missed her friends so much, she hated being here and moreover, she was afraid. Would Zuko kill her if she didn't talk? Would he really let her starve to death? How could anyone be so inhumane?

She had felt like she had been trapped in that cell for hours. She tried to sleep but her stomach constantly argued against such actions. Her mind had stopped worrying about her companions and was now concentrated on what course of action she should take for self preservation. She could tell Zuko a false location, which would buy her time, and a meal, but what happened when he found out it weren't true, then what? She heavily sighed and looked up into the darkness. _Appa's saddle would definitely be much better than this_ she thought.

Heavy footsteps were heard outside of the room. Katara immediately wiped her face. She didn't want to give that bastard the satisfaction of her tears. A short heavyset many walked in. Katara sat in what she thought was a defensive position, glaring at her visitor.

"My, My! Why is it so dark in here?" The figure asked before waving his massive paw which immediately caused a lamp to light.

Katara saw the figure a little more clearly between the constant blinks of her eyes which were adjusting to the sudden brightness. He was an old man and judging by his robes, he was important. The man walked over and looked into Katara's grimy dark cell. She backed up until she was against the wall, staring fiercely at the man.

"Now, why would my nephew lock up such a beautiful girl? Prisons were made for evil adults, not innocent children." He said

Katara stared at the man quizzically while he took out a key, and inserted it into the iron padlock, turning it roughly until a light click was heard before removing it and returning the key into his pocket. The door screeched its protests as it opened causing Katara to wince at the eerie sound. She stood up and stared confusedly at the man. Why was he helping her? He just said that his nephew was Zuko, so why would he go against his nephews wishes?

"Thank you"

"You are very welcome. I am the retired General Iroh, but you can call me Iroh" he grinned

"My name is Katara"

"Katara, such a beautiful name. You must be hungry; would you like to join me for lunch and tea?"

"Yes sir..."

Katara followed him through the ominous halls of the ship. One or two sailors stopped to look at her; even a few were friendly and smiled. They finally came to the dining room. It was windowless and held a simple rectangle table in the center surrounded by a few sitting pillows. Aside from the banners with the Fire Nation insignia, the room was pretty much simple. It was not what Katara had expected for a prince.

"Please sit and relax, you are probably weary after being cooped up in that dark cell, yes?" Iroh merrily asked

"Yes sir, those cells are very uncomfortable" Katara gave him a light smile.

At this point anything would be better than that prison but Katara much preferred the accommodations that were currently given to her. A warm meal and tea would do nicely to ease her mind.

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Raging flames flew across the dark room, corresponding to Zuko's precise movements. His attacks sent massive blasts of flames through the air adding new burn marks to the scorched walls. He concentrated on his anger, his frustration, using his rage to fuel his attacks. His mind touched upon his father's punishment, and that was enough to make him burst with flames.

Yet even with his concentration on such thoughts, he still felt a sense of relief. That girl would be willing to talk soon. It was about time for lunch; she had to be gnawing at the bars by now. Zuko chuckled inwardly at the image. He grabbed a clean robe and dressed himself. _It's only a matter of time_ he thought. A bell clanked in the distance signaling lunch was being served.

Zuko left the singed training room and walked through the long halls towards the dining room, smiling at himself while thinking about how that girl would surely be willing to give him information about the Avatar after his meal. He walked into the room and came to an abrupt stop. His eyes dilated as quickly as his jaw dropped.

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**A/N:** Another short chapter, I think this might be the last one because the rest of the chapters can reach up to about 7+ pages of writing. This chapter was only 4 pages, keyword: only  



	4. Cooling Water

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

**A/N:** Please forgive me if the architecture of Zuko's ship aren't accurate I didn't have too many resources to go by, and I changed a few things here and there to benefit my story.

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**Chapter 4: Cooling Water**

Zuko's eyes burned with a flamed rage as he stared heatedly at his prisoner. Although considering Katara's current position her status had unmistakably changed to former prisoner but it seemed Zuko had every intention of correcting this error.

"What are _you_ doing here!" he bellowed

The waterbender waved, smiling at the boy before smugly answering "What does it look like? I'm eating."

Katara watched as Zuko's snarl intensified, revealing both sets of his gleaming teeth. She could tell that he was highly irate, not because of the deep scowl that he wore but because of the sweltering heat which radiated from him. The young waterbender noticed that he would do this only when he was extremely ticked off.

"Thank you for turning up the heat" she added gently "it was getting cold in here"

Katara knew this remark would get her captor fuming. She laughed to herself knowing that she had won this minor battle. Zuko's hands burst into angry flames, his eyes fixed aggressively on Katara. Her instincts willed her to run in terror, fearing what violent acts the prince had in store for her but out of habit she ignored her inner precautions and concentrated her every thought on how to annoy him further without abruptly ending her life.

"Calm down Prince Zuko" Iroh coolly interjected "Katara could you excuse us?"

"Yes sir." She answered respectfully. Her meal was finished anyway. _What a bad way to end such a good lunch._ She thought regretfully. While exiting she took a gamble and sent Zuko a devilish grin. In reaction, the prince hot headedly hurled a flame towards her but was too late. She had already ducked and ran out the door.

Katara proudly walked through the halls heading towards the deck of the ship. Her mind gleamed with pride over the small battle she had currently won. Though her victory would not gain any territory back from the Fire Nation's greedy hands, she had managed to humiliate their prince and to her it was just as good. Katara's mind floated to the thought of her companions. She silently wished her friends had been with her to witness the event. They surely would have loved to see a mortified Zuko. By now they would all be rolling with ecstatic laughter. Katara took a deep sigh; she truly hoped that her friends were alright.

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A giant cream bison soared through the sky. Its human passengers had been oddly quiet for the most part and their actions disturbed their animal companions. Momo tried his best to comfort the boys but his efforts were in vain. Sokka violently sharpened his boomerang his eyes staring intensely on the cool blade. Anger and hurt swelled within his young body. His expression had turned hard and cold, contradicting the kind loving appearance that usually graced his face. It seemed all pleasantness had vanished with the loss of his sister. Even the peaceful and optimistic monk did not show his classic teeth baring grin.

"Sokka, we'll get Katara back." Aang said hoping to bring comfort to his hurt friend.

"Where do we look Aang?" Sokka replied with more anger than intended. "We don't know if she's on that island or if that bastard Zuko has her."

"We could go back and search the island…" Aang suggested.

"And what if she's on Zuko's ship? By the time we're done searching the island Zuko will be long gone" The warrior retorted

"But if Zuko's looking for me, he won't be too far."

"Yeah but now he has a hostage! Don't you see Aang? Zuko most likely want to make a trade! He would take you in exchange for Katara!"

"Oh…"

"All this is my fault," The warrior sorrowfully began " if I never suggested that we split up then she would still be with us…I promised to protect her, but what in the world can I do now?"

Aang averted his eyes. He didn't have an answer for his friend. Sokka angrily shot a fist down onto the saddle, ignoring the hot pain that rushed through his knuckles while drops of water fell lightly on his fist. The boys continued to fly through the air in heavy silence hoping to find a way to retrieve their missing family member.

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"Uncle how could you!" Zuko hissed "you've ruined my plan!" The prince wrathfully studied his uncle who calmly sipped his tea.

"Zuko, you can not treat a lady in such a manner. I know you grew up without many external female influences so I do not expect that you properly know how to treat a woman."

Zuko glared at his uncle. Zuko hated to admit it but his uncle was right; the only females that he knew were family and a few servants. He was so busy learning to become Fire Lord that interactions with the opposite sex became unimportant. Strength, conquer, and ruthlessness had been his teachings and he applied those same tactics to all he encountered, including loving family members. Well, tried to apply, during some circumstances he could not bear to use such methods out of moral. But this girl was an enemy and enemies were supposed to be treated as such. What did gender matter? A warrior was a warrior regardless, and if they were not prepared to face the consequences of their profession, than it would have been better if they had not become one at all.

"Zuko you have to be gentle and kind to women. Locking a harmless girl in a cage is unacceptable." His uncle took a long sip of tea before continuing. "She might be more willing to talk if you were kinder to her young prince"

"Why should I be kind to _her_?" he asked with frustration while pointing to an imaginary Katara. "She has been nothing but a pain and besides it would take too long!"

That was the truth, it would take too long. Why bother being nice when brutality, bribery, and blackmail worked much more efficiently? _Although uncle's wisdom should not be ignored..._ And that was truth too. His uncle knew more about social interactions and policy better than he did. Surely the man knew of what he spoke. Yet his uncle's advice contradicted years of ingrained learning and it seemed it would take forever to undo.

"It's your choice Zuko." Iroh calmly stated, interrupting Zuko out of his confused thoughts. "But remember she's probably going to be here for a while until the Avatar arrives"

"Until the Avatar arrives?" Zuko whispered, pondering his uncle's statement

Iroh realizing that he had said too much finished off the remainder of his tea and stood up from his mat. He walked across the room and put a loving hand on his nephews shoulder before exiting the room.

_Until the Avatar arrives…_ The thought repeated itself in the boy's mind until it finally dawned on Zuko. The Avatar would come for his friend! Of course! How could he have been so stupid to not realize this? It didn't matter whether she was imprisoned or not, as long as she was in his grasp. A smile found its way to his lips as he left through the door. The thought danced in his mind as he made his way through the halls. He could do an even trade with the Avatar, her life for his, or he could force the Avatar and his other friend to cooperate by threatening to harm that girl. The possibilities seemed endless!

The prince made his way onto the deck heading towards the bridge. A glint of light caught his eye and turned his attention to the bow of the ship where his eyes fell upon the girl bending her element. Her movements captivated his attention. She beautifully controlled the water so it swirled around her graceful movements. The beautiful sight induced curiosity and intrigue on the young prince. He made his way to a nearby crate and sat upon it with his legs crossed so his knees were bent facing outwards, his ankles crossed and so the soles of his feet pressed against his inner thigh.

Zuko gazed hypnotically at the swirling water as it floated dreamily through the crisp air. The water formed into a thin stream and drifted around the girl with marvelous splendor refracting the gleaming sunlight so it glittered during each glided motion. The beauty of her art brought a feeling to Zuko, one he hadn't felt in a long time…peace. The art of waterbending seemed so much more relaxed than firebending; instead of sharp rigid movements it was more fluid like the element it controlled.

Zuko noticed a few sailors stopped and watched too, some even clapped. The girl momentarily stopped bending and blushed at the attention causing her spell to fade along with the peaceful emotion. Age old anger replaced the gentle feeling and the prince rose from his hiding place walking towards the unsuspecting girl.

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Katara adored the attention from the sailors. She continued her bending, putting on a slight show and exaggerating her movements faintly to give them a more attractive appearance. A genuine smile found its way to her face and for a moment she was happy. That was until her sapphire eyes caught an angry prince stomping towards her. Immediately her gentle water turned into a sharp and fierce whip, losing some of its beauty as she went into a defensive stance out of instinct.

Though fighting would be quite useless at this point. She was in the middle of an ocean on an enemy ship which possessed what she considered, one of the strongest fire benders in the world. She sighed and bended her element back to its source and then stood up straight preparing herself for the hot headed prince. Her bending would not save her against this enemy. Azure eyes stared at a spoiled prince defiantly. Katara had persuaded herself into giving him the hardest time possible without endangering her well being.

"What are you men doing?" Zuko yelled "get back to work!"

Katara gloomily looked as her company turned and left. She was hoping for some social interaction with one of them, and to maybe even make a friend. She surely couldn't be friends with the uncle of her captor no matter how nice he was, and the thought of not making any friends at all caused her to shudder. It would not be healthy for her to go without decent social interaction for long time, and since her brother and Aang were no where in sight and she was stuck on the snot nosed prince's ship, it was safe to consider she would be here for a long time.

"You" Zuko hissed while glaring intensely at her.

She prepared herself for the anger that would lash out at her. Her body subconsciously tensed in his presence and she felt her lungs draw in a mildly encouraging breath of air. He stopped in front of her shut his eyes and took a deep breath. As he exhaled he returned his unreadable gaze to her.

"Who gave you permission to waterbend?" He asked with calmness which confused the heck out of Katara.

She was utterly shocked. No yelling? Was he trying to be nice? No it couldn't be that, he was too hot headed and besides he had a heart of coal, right?

"Why do I need permission to bend my element?" She asked heatedly.

Zuko shot her a fiery look which sent a minor chill through Katara. "Because," he said through his clenched teeth "you are on my ship."

This was amazing! He wasn't yelling! Katara thought he would have blown his top by now. She decided she wouldn't push her luck and opted to give him a break.

"No one gave me permission." She answered glancing sideways

"If you are going to bend it must be under either my or my uncle's supervision"

"Why? It's not like I can go anywhere and what would be the point of attacking sailors?"

"_Because_" he hissed, frustration returning to his voice. He took another deep breath before continuing. "Because I am not willing to take that chance."

Katara looked at him in his eyes, giving him a rebellious look. "Alright, can I waterbend now?"

"Not now, but find me in the evening. Then you can bend."

"Why not now?"

"_Because_, I have to take care of business with the ship and crew." He replied. Katara could tell that at this point he was struggling to keep his temper down

"So what do I do till then?"

"I don't care, wander around the ship! I'm not you're babysitter!" he yelled while swinging a flamed hand to express his frustration.

There it went; Katara knew that calm act wouldn't last. Calm was not a word that could be associated properly with Zuko. His anger would come out sooner or later. "But you were the one who just said that I need supervision in order to waterbend!"

"I know, but I am not responsible for how you spend the rest of your time!" the prince argued

A warm heat reached the young waterbender. Katara let the argument drop. She wasn't about to badger him into a fight, that would just be plain stupid. Instead she glared at him before walking over to the railing and looking out at the sparkling sea. She heard the young prince walk off to take care of his so called business, but really, what business could he have to attend to on a ship so small?

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Zuko angrily walked towards the bridge. He had tried to be nice to the girl but it seemed impossible. He opened the door to the bridge and stepped in. The room was very plain. Other than the wooden table with sitting pillows and a helm it was fairly empty. The helmsman was staring intensely out through the window his hands gripping the wheel tightly.

Zuko walked over towards the man "There will been a change in course"

"Sir?" The helmsmen asked

"The ships supplies are low, and there is a city close to our current position in the Earth Kingdom. Plot a course there"

"Yes sir!" he quickly answered

Zuko took part in various duties such as this for the most of the day. They weren't exciting but they kept him busy. His mind briefly thought of that girl, she must be bored out of her mind by now. Zuko felt a slight pang of sympathy for the girl knowing that things could get pretty dull around the ship. Another thought hit him… he didn't even know her name. He shook his head at his ignorance and made a quick mental note to himself to find out that girl's name.

Running around the ship was very tiring for the boy. Zuko decided that a quick nap was in order; he really needed to replenish his strength. Besides he could rest now couldn't he? He would no longer need to chase the Avatar since the Avatar would be after his companion who was currently in Zuko's custody. He directed his tired feet towards his room which unfortunately for him, was at the top of the ship.

"Prince Zuko!"

The young prince turned to see his uncle behind him

"Yes uncle?" he wearily replied.

"Why have we changed course?"

"Our supplies are low, we only have enough food and drink to last about one week. I have set course to a nearby Earth Nation city"

"That is wonderful!" his uncle cheerfully responded "The Earth Nation produces some of the finest teas! Who knows, I might even find a new pai sho tile" he chuckled

Zuko rolled his eyes knowing that if his uncle went into the city he might drag him along on one of his idiotic shopping quests.

"Whatever" he grunted

"Have you seen Katara around lately?" his uncle asked

_Katara… so that was her name_. "You mean the prisoner? No and frankly I don't care"

"I wonder where she could have gone off to. Oh, I'm sure she's fine wherever she is"

Zuko turned and left his uncle, his eyelids began to shut as if there were a heavy weight upon them. He could almost hear his bed calling out to him…

Iroh watched Zuko leave and smiled lightly at his beloved nephew. He then turned, heading towards the mess hall. Hopefully the cook had brewed some of his famous tea.

Zuko finally reached his room. It was quite large; a wide futon lay in the corner of the room with the banner with the Fire Nation insignia hanging on the metal wall beside it. Thick cream spreads covered the futon along with two fluffed pillows. On the opposite side of the room, a small table with four candles added some decoration to the room. Above the small table was a crimson mask of a dragon hanging ferociously on the wall and beside it two tall lamps dimly lit the room. A few other furnishings such as a bureau, pottery and banners were placed against the walls.

Zuko wearily discarded his robes and his boots and changed into a comfortable pair of pants and tied them tightly around his waist. He dragged his tired feet over to the futon and climbed in. His body immediately welcomed the soft cushiony mattress. He gave into the temptation of sleep and let his eyes close. He rolled over towards the wall; his body collided into a warm fleshy figure. Zuko's eyes immediately snapped open and saw a young girl sleeping beside him, her breathing slowed by sleep. He quickly rose out the bed and looked at her. She slept calmly curled in a fetal position. Not knowing how to react he panicked and fell into one of his tempers

"What are you doing here!" he hissed

The girl groggily responded. "I'm sleeping." She rolled over so her back faced him

"This is _my_ room!" he heatedly roared

"And _i'm _sleeping" she argued. He had somewhat woken her now and she sat up tiredly rubbing eyes facing the frustrated boy.

"Go somewhere else!" he growled

She was too tired to argue. With her eyes half shut she asked "where?"

"I don't care just not in here!"

"Why don't you go? I was here first!" she answered bitterly

"But this is _my_ room!"

"Stop being a baby" and with that she plopped back on the warm bed and curled up, pulling a mountain of sheets with her.

Zuko was infuriated. All the lamps in the room lit fiercely, and he began to emit an immense heat that caused the room to swelter. The prince leaned his head back; a mixture of fire and smoke erupted out of his mouth. The young prince took a couple deep breaths, each one lowering the flames on the freshly lit lamps down until they were extinguished. He snatched a quilt from a nearby stand and angrily dragged himself across the room. Zuko slumped down against the wall and pulled the blanket around him. He glared at the girl one last time and gave a snort before closing his eyes and letting his body succumb to an irritated sleep.

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**A/N**- I have recently discovered that reading does help your writing! Not that I didn't like to read, but over the past month I've read over 70 pages worth of quality writing and I can greatly see a difference in my own writing. Yay! The next chapter should be up soon, it's already written but I am a revise freak so it won't be posted until next week. 


	5. Fire and Ice

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

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**Chapter 5: Fire and Ice**

The young prince roused from a very restful yet uncomfortable nap. He straightened up while yawning and giving his mildly sore limbs a good stretch. His golden eyes shifted to his occupied futon where the girl currently resided. She was curled up near the edge under a mountain of warm blankets, blankets _he _should be under and not her. Unfortunately for him this was not the circumstance. After being kicked out of his own bed, he was forced to sleep against the cold metal wall of his room.

His intense scowl softened as he studied her slumbering form. She appeared to be so peaceful. Her face wore the same calmness it did when she had waterbended. Zuko knew better than to be fooled by this soft appearance, when she woke she would no doubt carry a bite. Between them there was always tension, even when he had tried to be nice or vice versa. Why didn't she retain her sereneness when they spoke? Was there something wrong with him? He wasn't used to interacting with girls let alone other teenagers. At a young age he was forced to take on adult responsibilities. Perhaps he was too mature? No that couldn't be it, that girl, _Katara_, had previously accused him of acting like a baby.

The faint sound of the dinner bell sounded in the distance, waking the prince from his thoughts. _How long have I been asleep?_ Reluctantly he rose from his seat, leaving the warm comforting quilt behind. He silently dressed himself in his sleeveless button-down crimson shirt and matching robe before padding over to the slumbering figure. A small concern struck the prince. How would he wake her? He wasn't used to waking others from their sleep. Should he yell and rip the sheets from her? Perhaps not, a rude awakening would put anyone in a foul mood and at this point Zuko felt tired of dealing with the temperamental characteristics of the girl. It seemed her moods could shift as easily as the weather. A soft awakening possibly could avoid any of the foul mannerisms and taunting that the girl usually demonstrated. At any rate, it was worth a try. He bent down to his knee and lightly placing a hand on her warm shoulder and shook her gently.

"Wake up" he whispered in a hushed tone.

Her eyelids gradually fluttered open, revealing a pair of intense sapphire eyes which slowly trailed towards the cause of the disturbance. Zuko took his hand from the girl seeing that his mission was complete, she was awake. He stood and turned from her taking a few steps towards the door before tilting his head in her direction.

"It's time for dinner"

Zuko was trying his best not to upset the girl in any way. He decided that he would try his uncle's advice and be _kind_ to her, if _kind_ meant that he would refrain from yelling and insulting her. Besides, if he didn't exhibit such harsh actions towards her she would not be provoked into doing the same, resulting in a calmer interaction. Though the question of why he even wanted to interact with her was still a mystery to him. Perhaps it would ease her into trusting him more so she wouldn't attempt to run from him. This line of thought satisfied his mind and he returned his attention to the waking girl in behind him. He turned his torso slightly so he could view her from the corner of his eye.

"Come on" he ordered in an even tone.

Her fingers rose to her face and rubbed her once tired eyes. She nodded quietly and rose out of the cozy bed, following him towards the door before suddenly stopping. Zuko curiously curved his head again to see what the reason of her abrupt pause was. Katara spun around and began fixing the mussed bed back into its original neat state.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked with slight confusion.

"What does it look like?" She replied. A muffled yawn reached his ears before she continued. "I'm making the bed."

Judging by her tone, her comment was not to be offensive, she was just simply stating a fact. "We have servants to do this here is no need for your labor"

"It's alright, back home I did this every morning along with other tasks." She turned to him and smiled

Her smile sent an awkward feeling through Zuko. The prince looked away from the girl; his face began to turn a light shade of pink. If anything the strange emotion discomforted him. The feeling didn't correspond with his usual emotions of wrath, hurt, cruelty or any of the other negative emotions that followed. Instead, it stirred old emotions that he had felt numerous times in the past, ones that rarely surfaced in recent times. Fortunately for his troubled mind, the matter would have to wait for another time for further inspection. He was a tad too groggy and hungry to decipher the exact confusing sentiment he was experiencing. Zuko quickly recovered himself and replaced his half stunned expression with his usual mask of cold, hoping that the girl did not see his moment of weakness. Enemies should never know your weakness.

"All done!" she said cheerily

"Let's go"

Zuko led Katara through the long corridors until they finally reached the modest dining room. They sat with the low wooden table between them horizontally under comfortable cushiony pillows. Zuko glanced around the room observantly before straining his ears for his relative's ridiculous humming or heavy steps. When neither sound came, Zuko became slightly unnerved. Where was his uncle? Surely he wouldn't leave the two alone…Or would he? The prince made a mental note to thoroughly deal with his incompetent uncle for this. A discomforting silence filled the room as the two teens waited to be served their meal. Zuko quietly studied the familiar furnishings of the area before lettings his eyes drop to his impatient fingers which frustratingly tapped the table.

"So, did you finish all of the ship's business?" she asked breaking the thick quiet that had surrounded them

Zuko looked at her with mild surprise. He did not anticipate that she would actually attempt conversation. She was his prisoner after all, why should she try to be friendly with her captor? Perhaps she was trying to weaken him so he would lower his defenses. Zuko snorted at the thought, he would not be so easily fooled. He would play along until her motives became clear. "Yes…" he answered. She looked at him curiously as if expecting him to elaborate. _How to continue…_ Should he maintain the discussion by informing her about his duties? Would she even understand the terminology? Would she even be interested? And why was he worrying about what she thought? These questions racked his brain, the last one giving him the most irritation.

"Well, after you told me I couldn't waterbend I explored the ship a bit. Your crew is very friendly, the cook even let me help in the kitchen" she calmly stated while unleashing a soft grin.

Zuko turned his eyes from her and returned his gaze to the table, desperately trying to fight the blush in his cheeks. "After dinner," he began "if you want to, you can waterbend. I don't have any duties then"

"That would be nice, thank you" she replied politely

She made conversation look so easy! Was it because he wasn't used to talking to other people? It annoyed him that something that was so hard for him was so natural for her. He had taken lessons such as, The Study of Diplomatic Interactions, and The Art of Converse. Surely he was equipped enough to hold a minor conversation! Yet here he was, feeling discomfited by the presence of this girl, the Avatar's accomplice no less and a peasant! '_Perhaps it's fear…'_ Zuko immediately dismissed his conscience's suggestion. He did not fear anything, particularly enemies. Zuko took a few deep breaths to calm him. He did not want to be the reason for an argument.

Finally the servant showed up with their meal.A bowl of rice, chicken and cabbage was served. Their cups were filled with cool water. The servant bowed before taking his leave. At last an excuse not to talk! Not that conversation bothered Zuko; it was the awkwardness of talking to _her_ that made him uncomfortable. They quietly ate their food until Katara once again broke the eerie silence

"The food is good" she said smiling "It tastes much better than what I'm used to. Usually my meals are campfire food and whatever fruits and vegetables that are found"

Zuko nodded, he was not to sure how to respond to the comment. Everything he would say made him feel so, uncomfortable.

"You probably don't eat campfire food too much" she continued "even when you camp your chef follows you right?"

"Yes, he has his own tent" he muttered

Where in the world was his uncle? Uncle Iroh possessed much more experience in verbal exchange than he did. Zuko reached for his cup and took a sip. Katara continued to eat her meal. Now what? Should he try to start a conversation, if so, then on what? How could she possibly relate to a prince? Their elements and lives were a complete opposite. She probably grew up with a perfect loving family and him? Zuko pushed the thought out of his mind. Thinking about his family always put him in a foul mood.

"It must get really frustrating traveling across the world searching for one boy" she calmly said.

Zuko look absentmindedly at the plate before him. "You have no idea"

"You're right about that, but what I do know that it is frustrating to keep running from a persistent prince." She chuckled

Zuko tried to keep a straight face, but the sides of his mouth refused to cooperate and disloyally curved upwards. Katara's eyes widened as a look of surprise enveloped her face.

"That's amazing!" she exclaimed

Zuko looked at her quizzically.

"You actually can smile! Here this whole time I thought you had a heart of coal"

His smile softened and he raised an eyebrow to her statement "A heart of coal?"

"Well that's what keeps you're fire lit right?" she joked.

"If my fire burns because of a heart of coal, then your water must bend because you have a heart of ice" he added which sent the girl a fresh wave of giggles. A girlish hand rose to her mouth to stifle her pleasant emotion but failed in its task and succeeded in only muffling her melodic voice. A warm feeling tingled through the prince as he observed her laugh. Her laugh was not hardy and rough like his uncle's nor twittery like several of the noblewoman from his memory. Instead her laugh was pleasantly warm and quite possibly uplifting.

"So if you're fire doesn't burn off of a heart of coal then what does it burn off of?" she asked after her amusement had subsided.

Zuko's face took on a stern emotion. "It burns off of anger"

"That's so sad." She whispered, sympathizing for the young prince.

He shook his head "Its life. In order for fire to exist it needs to have fuel. Fire is the only element which destroys in order to exist."

After a pause of thoughtful silence Katara shared, "Waterbending is calmer, its nature is not to attack but to restrain and heal."

"Speaking of waterbending, are you ready to go practice?" Zuko asked

Katara gently nodded and together they rose, leaving the warm dining room and dirty dishes behind.

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A strong cool breeze pushed at Katara sending chills down her spine. The sun had faded long ago and in its trail left thousands of fragments of shining light. The moon shone brightly gracing the metal ship with its transparent beams.

Katara took a deep breath which calmed her mind and body. She sensed out the water and gracefully bended it towards her. The thought of Zuko watching her made her feel uncomfortable resulting in constant breaks of concentration. He was sitting across from her; close enough that he could study her movements yet far enough that he would not get in the way. His cool amber eyes stood out in the faint light and she could see that he was watching her intensely. _I wonder what he is thinking. _It felt nice to have someone interested in her. Usually Aang and Sokka would simply ignore her practice rather than take interest. Yet the fact that her onlooker was Zuko only caused her to feel odd. Why would he take interest in her? Whatever his reason, it would come out sooner or later.

She quickly focused again on the water, smoothly bending it around her. She continued to bend the water slowly increasing the amount of the liquid she controlled. She first formed her water whip and practiced drills which sent it speedily snapping through the chilled air. She then molded the water into one mass and carefully bended it around her.

Hours passed as the girl continued to practice various bending techniques. After a while Zuko stood from his resting place and walked over to her. Even in his relaxed form he still appeared intimidating. As he drew closer his height only added to that feeling causing Katara to stand up straight. She was not one to cower in fear.

"You're not bad" He said coolly

"Thank you" she blushed and tore her gaze from his

"Any chance you and I could spar?"

Katara's pupils dilated at the question. Fight him? He would murder her! "Uh, I'm a little too tired to fight" she said excusably

"Are you scared?" He smirked.

"No!" she snapped "it's just…"

"Just what?" Zuko loomed over her and Katara felt herself shrink inwardly.

Katara didn't have an excuse. The reason she didn't want to spar him was because she _was_ afraid of him but she couldn't let him know that. Katara glared at him defiantly before answering

"Alright"

She took a defensive stance and stared into the confident golden eyes of her opponent. He removed his robe to reveal his bare muscular arms which glowed against the dark fabric of his clothes. Instantly her mind betrayed her motives and exploded with many thoughts of what tender actions those strong arms were capable of doing. Katara blushed at her ideas and fell into a mental chant '_He's the enemy. He's the enemy. He's the enemy.'_ Her mantra did little to dissuade her disturbing thoughts but it was enough to return some concentration to her opponent. He took his own fighting stance and raised his sturdy arms into an unfamiliar posture.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice filled with daunting strength. She nodded hesitantly and tightened her stance. Before she could blink waves of fire ripped through the air towards her. Katara hastily sent a wall of water in front of her to shield her against the coming attack. The fire met the liquid barrier with an angry hiss. As soon as the light had faded she bended the water into a tight whip, Katara desperately tried to locate her adversary. Her eyes caught a motion above her and saw an enflamed prince in the air leaping towards her current position. She quickly bended the water into a thick wall above her head before throwing herself to the side. The prince landed in the center of the wall, _perfect_ Katara stumbled to her feet and bended the water so it pushed against the boy until he collided into the side of the ship before freezing it. His arms and thighs were encased in her frozen straight-jacket.

Katara relaxed her stance, he couldn't possibly escape that. She prepared to break the ice when an orange glow radiated from his hands under the clear ice. A bright flash appeared accompanied by a scorching heat made Katara fall back onto her feet and throw her arms up in a desperate attempt to shield her face. She looked back to where her icy prison had once been and found it replaced by a thick wall of steam. Katara saw fiery gold eyes gleaming intensely through the haze. Panic racked through her brain as she stumbled to her feet trying to bend the water as quick as her body would let. Her efforts were futile for by the time that she was able to stand Zuko had hooked her neck from behind with his arm and held a flamed dagger close under her chin with his other hand.

Katara involuntarily shuddered at the feeling of his arm around her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see his muscle bulging, glistening with either sweat or condensed steam. Her conscience re-voiced its previous thoughts at full force.

"Do you concede to your loss?" he said smoothly. His warm voice tickled in her ear causing her heartbeat to thud within her chest. At this point she could only give a dumbfounded nod. When that didn't satisfy him she mustered a small amount of sense from some corner of her mind and spoke.

"You win" she squeaked

The fire dissipated in the prince's hand and he released her from his constraining grip. Katara felt something in her drop as he removed his arm from her. Yet she was already disgusted with herself for even toying with the idea of an attraction toward the prince and decided that it would not be best to inspect that feeling of loss. '_Stupid prince and his stupid muscles'_

"Not bad" the prince said approvingly.

"You still won"

"That doesn't mean you didn't fight well" he coolly replied.

"Why did you want to fight?"

"My reasons are none of your concern" he answered while readjusting his clothing.

"Uh, yeah they are!"

"No, they're not" he snapped and shot her a menacing glance.

"I'm the one fighting you! How could I not be concerned?"

"What makes you think I have to tell you anything?" he snarled; his temper was beginning to get the better of him.

"I can't stand you, do you know that?" she all but yelled

"What makes you think I care?"

A vicious set of eyes glared at Katara while her own cerulean ones began to fill with frustration. Why couldn't he just tell her why he started the fight? Really, it was only a spar. What, was he debating of actually harming her during their fight or was he just trying to test is skills? Or worse, was he trying to gauge her abilities so that if they ever had a serious fight he would know how to take her down? She truly hoped that all of her suspicions were false.

Katara knew the proud prince would never back out of an argument, so she did it for him. She left him standing alone on the deck and headed towards the bathroom across from his room to bathe. A warm bath was what she needed to relax and plus, she hadn't bathed since she arrived. She tiredly walked through the long corridor and upon entering the small room she saw that a servant had recently poured hot water into the metal washbasin. She devilishly laughed to herself; she would use his bath water as payback. She just hoped that this course of action wouldn't come to haunt her.

Katara shut and locked the door before stripping herself of her dirty robes and slowly entering the steaming tub. The hot water eased her aching muscles and relaxed her stressed mind. They were getting along so well, if it hadn't been for his temper they probably could have even become friends. Katara shook her head. That was absurd, he was the enemy. How could they possibly be friends? She leisurely scrubbed the dirt and grime from her body. Once she was clean she stood up and opened the drain. She stepped out the basin placing her feet upon the bath mat. The young waterbender bended the excess liquid from her body and placed it into the drain.

A thought struck her mind as quickly as coldness struck her body. What would she use for clothes? She couldn't put dirty clothes on a clean body. That would defeat the whole purpose of a bath! Katara thought about her dilemma when an idea hit her. She would just use Zuko's clothes. He had to have some type of clothing in his room. She placed her robe on and peeked out of the room. When she was sure the coast was clear she quickly dashed into Zuko's room before anyone would realize that she was half naked.

She walked over to his bureau and looked through the neat drawers until she found a set of suitable clothing. She dressed herself in an oversized shirt which fell to her upper thighs and a pair comfortable trousers; Katara had to pull the pants above her waistline in order for them to fit decently. She laughed to herself, thinking how ridiculous she must look.

Katara folded her own clothes and placed them on bench in front of the candlelit table. She then closed the bureau drawers and looked around the room, making sure that everything was left the way she had found it. Her tired limbs pestered her mind, crying for rest. She gave in to their complaints and crawled into Zuko's warm cushioned futon. Katara deeply exhaled and rolled over to the side closest to the wall. The comforting softness of the bed and the increasing warmth lulled Katara into a very deep sleep.


	6. The Warming Flame

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

**A/N**: Sorry it took so long to update. I added this chapter and the next one as a last minute idea . I really wanted to have a runaway scene and I would have been upset if there wasn't one.

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**Chapter 6: The Warming Flame  
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Warm sunlight lazily flooded into the dark bedroom through the thin rectangular window of Zuko's room. Its rays slowly crept across the space to the futon, shining on the sleeping prince, its warmth slowly beginning to stir the young man. Zuko slothfully woke, giving a lion like yawn. It was unusual for him to wake so leisurely but his rest had been the warmest and most comfortable one in a long time. He was so relaxed that he wasn't even sure that he was awake. Zuko could feel a warm figure pressing against his torso. _This must be a dream…_ He thought. There wasn't any way _anyone_ would be in his bed so it _had _to be a dream. Zuko tightened his hold on the unseen figure beside him but was surprised when it softly moaned. As much as he didn't want to wake up and loose the comforting dream, his curiosity was starting to get the better of him. _How can this be a dream if I'm thinking properly?_

Zuko's eyelids slowly slid open and his golden eyes focused on the world around him. Beside him, Katara slept peacefully, her gentle face alarmingly close to his. His arm was wrapped firmly around her slender waist, securing her to his now tense body. An immediate shock of panic ran through the prince causing him to hastily back up from the slumbering girl and to remove his once comfortable limb from her. What was she doing here? How had he not notice her in his bed last night? Zuko slowly retraced his actions from the previous night. After she left him, he had undergone a vigorous workout. Then he went into his bathroom to find his bathwater gone and had to climb through the ship to locate a servant to refill the tub. After his bath he crawled wearily into his room, dressed, and plopped down into his bed and quickly fell asleep… Yet it still did not make any sense, he was usually more alert than this. Zuko heavily sighed with frustration; there wasn't any use in crying over spilled milk, now he had to figure a way to clean it up.

Zuko tiredly started to return his head to his comfortable pillow, maybe if he went back to sleep he would wake up to find that this was just a dream..._No that wouldn't be right!_ None of it seemed right. She was the accomplice of the Avatar, plain and simple. No room for discussion. She was the enemy, and here he was lying with her as if they were lovers! Zuko halfheartedly snarled with the image of Katara and him actually having a _relationship_. He frowned not because he wanted to, but more that he felt it was appropriate. He should not _enjoy_ lying next to her, should he? The prince was about to get up again when suddenly she stirred. Zuko immediately froze, was she waking? To his relief she wasn't, but he soon noticed that her hand was now resting over his hip. Zuko's heart paced wildly at the new contact and took a few deep breaths to calm him. Acting hastily would not help his predicament. If he rose too quickly there was high possibility that she would wake and _that_ would place him in an even more awkward and unexplainable position.

The prince decided that he would wait until she was fully asleep before getting up. He returned his head back to his pillow and let his eyes trail her softened face. Zuko had to admit that she was beautiful. Perhaps it wouldn't kill him if he enjoyed the moment, besides he did have to wait until he was certain that she was asleep_... but that wouldn't be right!_ _She's the enemy!_ His conscience angrily threw the idea back in forth when his ears keyed in on a soft and calming sound. Her slow breathing played in his ears singing a silent lullaby to pacify his disordered thoughts.

As if he were in a trance, he gently pulled her closer to him and tilted his head so it nearly touched her brow. He closed his eyes and let his body enjoy her comforting warmth and the scent of her sweet breath. Zuko convinced himself that he would only stay in that position until he was sure she was fast asleep although deep down he felt that he could lie with her for the whole day. His mind roared with complaints and reason explaining why he shouldn't be doing what he was doing, but he ignored his confusing thoughts. He would allow his conscience beat him up later, but for now he was at peace. Zuko hadn't felt this calm since, ever. Why was it that he was feeling so serene with her?

Zuko took in the gentle moment as much as he could before slowly easing out of his bed. He pulled the thick blankets over Katara's shoulders as she stirred from the absence of his warmth. He turned towards his dresser and clad himself in clothes and armor. Before leaving the room Zuko gazed warmly at the sleeping girl, he then turned and left through the cold metal door, quietly closing it.

The main deck greeted the prince with a chilly gust of air. Between massive white puffs, rays of sun peeked through, warmly caressing the world below. Zuko looked out across the deep ocean. A massive green line was seen in the distance, slowly growing in size.

"Good morning Prince Zuko." Iroh merrily greeted

"Good morning uncle" Zuko replied "Where were you during dinner?"

"The sailors and I were in an interesting game of pai sho. Unfortunately for them I was on a winning streak. I trust everything went well with our guest."

"It was fine" Zuko muttered. Well that was partly true; they were doing fine until Zuko lost his temper. He had a few difficulties with the whole being _kind_ thing.

"Splendid"

"Uncle, we will be arriving to the Earth Kingdom soon. Tell the men to prepare"

"Yes of course, but what are you going to do till then?" the man asked

"I have some things to take care of" Zuko calmly stated, staring intensely at the far off terrain.

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Warm light filled Katara's sleeping eyes giving her lids the hue of red. She lazily rolled away from the bright light, futilely trying to grasp the sleep that was gradually fleeing her. The young girl gave up and opened her eyes. She sat up, yawned and rubbed her rested lids. Last night had been oddly comfortable. Katara had almost believed that she was at home curled up under her seal skin blankets. The young girl smiled gently at her fond memories before rolling out of bed. She noticed that Zuko's clothing was on her body, hanging loosely from her limbs. Katara decided she desperately needed to do laundry, but unfortunately that would have to wait.

Katara made the bed up and smoothed the covers; she then put on her shoes and left the room. On deck sailors rushed to and fro. The ship had docked on a beach and everyone was anxious to get on land. Katara strolled near the ramp to get a better look at the activity on shore. On the beach men bustled, readying carts with komodo-rhino's and gathering ropes and thick leather belts. It looked as if they were preparing to transfer something. Katara glanced around to find that she was unwatched. _No one would notice if I were to slip off and disappear…_

As if her thought had given her permission to leave, Katara gradually strode down the ramp trying to look as inconspicuous as she could. A few sailors passed by and smiled before either hustling back into the ship or going to tend the carts and rhinos. She inched herself to the tree line and leaned against the nearest one while quickly surveying her surroundings. Few men looked in her direction. Most of them were readying the carriages or calming the beasts. Once the coast was relatively clear, she slipped behind the tree and ran.

Trees whipped by her fleeing body as stray twigs snagged her loose clothing. Every now and then she would leap over protruding stones or dead logs. Katara could hardly believe the luck she was having! She had been stuck on that ship for little over a day and had already managed to escape! _I wonder what Aang and Sokka would think…_ Sokka for one would have no grounds to make a chauvinistic statement since she _was_ a girl and escaped the clutches of a group of grown adult men. If anything it would prove to her brother that girls were in fact superior. Aang probably wouldn't stress over the feat and would be happier because she was safe. Katara's heart softened at the thought and she made a mental note to herself to give the monk a big hug the next time she saw him which hopefully would be soon.

In all she suspected that she was making good time. Before she left there hadn't been a single yell of alert to prevent her escape and by the time they realized she was missing, she should be (or hoped to be) miles away. Her stomach gave an unruly growl and her legs felt like jelly but she refused to stop. The last time she gave into their concerns she got captured, and getting captured would defeat the whole purpose of running away.

Yet as much as it should have, the distance didn't comfort her. For some reason she couldn't escape the fear that he would somehow find her. He never failed in showing up at the least expected times and most of the time she would somehow manage to become his captive. It was in his nature to be possessive as well as driven and those qualities would not benefit her in any way. When he caught wind of her escape he would probably send an army to re-capture her…well perhaps not an army, but most likely the majority of his men and that was not a comforting thought.

_What if he were to find me?_ Katara felt the shiver of pure fear run through her body at the thought. She didn't think merciful was a word that could be associated with Zuko. If she were captured she'd be lucky if she were able to see the light of day because after this stunt she would no doubt be imprisoned for life. _There's no way I'm going to let him catch me though…_ Katara was determined to get away. Being captured again was not an option. She was strong, but even she had her limits, life imprisonment would be her breaking point.

Hours streamed by and her motivation eventually gave way to fatigue. Her sprint had fallen into an unhurried walk through the humid forest. The sun was high in the sky signaling that it was a little after midday. Katara's body screamed its concerns and she finally let up. She was dirty and tired. Her clothing clung to her and only offered some air through the rips and tears it acquired through her brisk run. Her arms face, and legs were littered with scrapes and small cuts and her toe currently throbbed from an unfortunate fall. She collapsed onto the ground which was littered with dead leaves, twigs and other natural creations. A hand rose to her hair and smoothed the many stray strands into a more neatened state, picking out leaves, moss and twigs when found. Katara exhaustedly scooted herself against a towering tree and closed her eyes, _I'll just rest a bit to regain my strength…_ shortly after she was fast asleep.

------------------------------------------

"What do you mean she isn't on the ship! Find her! NOW!" Zuko roared. The sailors shakily nodded their heads not wanting to further offend the enraged prince.

Zuko had hoped for a much warmer experience with the girl, especially after his incident this morning, but this? Her escape had been a highly unpleasant surprise, negating the more pleasant one that occurred earlier. Zuko cursed to himself. How could he have let this happen? Where could she have gone to? Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his temple. _No use worrying about that now_ he thought dryly. She was gone, and he would have to find a way to get her back. Without any other indications to the Avatar's current locality, she was his only lead to accomplishing his objective.

Zuko gave a furled snort which caused a thick cloud of black smoke to vent from his nostrils. _First thing's first, I must locate her direction of travel._ Zuko took a step off the ramp and onto the sand. _She would have stayed far away from the traffic of the sailors…_ He turned his attention to the area that led away from the empty carts. His eyes scanned the trodden ground for anything out of the ordinary. A lone pair of small footprints marred the un-trampled sand leading towards the trees. A gleam of success flashed through his eyes as he followed them towards the tree line. Zuko had only needed to enter the forest to notice her trail. She truly was an idiot for making such a hasty and unplanned escape. In her sprint she left broken twigs and pummeled plants. A smirk graced his lips as he heaved his body onto an unoccupied komodo-rhino. Finding her would be much easier than he first had thought.

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Soft chirpings reached her ears as Katara slowly made her way to the conscious realm. Cerulean eyes opened to find the thick cloak of night being pulled upon the dimming sky. A yawn broke through her dry lips as she stood up from her earthen resting place. Katara unhurriedly studied the forest around her looking specifically for any Fire Nation threats who would attempt to drag her back to a dungeon. When none were found, Katara fell into the next instinctual phase, self preservation. Clasping her frigid hands on her arms she searched for her body's first need, water and food. Katara silently thanked her brother for giving her lessons on how to survive in the wild, not that she intended to be out in the wilderness longer than need be, but his advice came in handy at this point. _I'll be just fine as long as I don't trust too heavily on instinct. _

Katara's feet wandered before her hopefully leading her to some source of water. Where there was water, there was bound to be food and for her, defense. She envied the Air-benders and Fire-benders who could wield their element just about anywhere they went. Unlike the Water and Earth benders who needed a supply of their element in order to bend, otherwise they would be reduced to ordinary people.

Finally water was sensed after what seemed like an hour of walking. Katara immediately broke into a sprint. A smile brandished her face at the sight of a stream trickling in the moonlight. She stooped down to the clear liquid and cupped her hands to drink her fill. Once finished, she moved along the outer edge of the forest to gather kindling for a fire. Her mind absently wandered to her previous captor. Surely he must have noticed her disappearance by now and was most likely fuming. For her future health it would be best if she would never cross paths with him again or at least not without her friends. There was always safety in numbers.

Katara stepped back from the lit wood to admire her handiwork. In the center of the stacked wood a small orange ember was seen with wisps of smoke floating from it. In no time the fire would be roaring and she would able to cook her meal after she caught it. Katara walked back to the river bank and bended the water until a silver fish swam in a small controlled ball. She carefully bended her food towards her and grabbed it by its tail. The fish flopped violently in her hand while desperately gasping for air.

She felt little to no remorse when she be-headed, scaled, gutted and boned the fish. If anything the task was frustrating since her brother's machete was not available and she was forced to use a piece of sharpened ice instead. Katara stuck a stick through her uncooked meal and placed it in the dirt beside the crackling fire.

Katara rested herself against a nearby tree and watched the fire lick hungrily into the air. The flames reminded her all too well of the fire prince that plagued her mind. She was unaccustomed to feeling fear but for some reason she couldn't shake that feeling now. Zuko was a formidable opponent and if she faced him he most likely would win. The only person she'd seen that could pose a threat to the prince was Aang, and Aang wasn't around so she would be on her own. Yet not only Zuko was after her, he had his men at his disposal and one of them could find her as well, but there was a heavy suspicion that she wouldn't be found by just one man and probably by a whole group. Would Zuko and his men find her before her friends? He no doubt was out looking for her by now, though it would probably take him a long time to find her, hopefully. She had run for the good part of the morning and put at least five to six hours of distance between them. _I suppose comfort won't be with me until I'm safe on Appa's back._

A loud 'pop' of burning wood woke Katara from her thoughts and her eyes focused on her fish which was a little past done. She leaned forward to reach for her food when suddenly the fire roared and increased in size causing Katara to give an ear splitting shriek and fall backwards from the amplified heat. Then before she could even properly think, she was on her stomach with her cheek pressed firmly into the ground. Her mind registered that someone was restraining her hands as well as roughly pinning her to the earth. She desperately tried to fight the person on top of her and only succeeded in getting her face further pushed into the ground.

"Did you think I would let you get away from me so easily?" A voice hissed into her ear. Katara's eyes dilated in fear as her ears recognized the voice.

"No…." she whispered so softly that even she could barely hear it. _I can't allow myself to be this weak!_ Her mind screamed. "Yeah I did. I was hoping you would roll over like the dog you are!" she snapped her tone drenched in malice and anger. Her comment earned her a painful bend on her wrists which caused her to writhe in pain. She desperately tried to fight his hold but her thrashing was useless and if anything made him tighten his iron grip. She gave up, panting and closed her eyes in defeat. She felt tears build behind her eyes but fought them. She would not allow Zuko to see her cry.

"How did you find me?" she whispered bleakly

"You were a fool to run so quickly through the forest and even more foolish to create a fire. Stupid wench, fire is my element. It was easy to sense the flames in an otherwise cold forest. Not to mention the smoke and light." He replied. His voice trickling warmly in her ear didn't incite the same feelings as it once had. This time defeat, hurt, anger and disgust stirred within Katara at the feeling of his warmed breath in the shell of her ear.

"Well next time I'll remember that."

A soft chuckle was heard above her before she felt his lips draw closer to her ear. "There will not be a next time"

Her eyes widened with fear at his remark while her body gave an involuntary shiver of fear. All doubts of seeing her family again raged within her mind. The swell of tears overwhelmed her and she felt the warm salty drops roll down her cheek. She felt something heavy and cold clamp on her wrists as well as her ankles.

"Y-Y-You're chaining me?" she asked

"You shall not escape my grasp again."

He pulled her up by the chains on her wrists so she was sitting upright. For the first time that night Katara was able to fully see him. Zuko was clad in his armor yet had omitted his helmet. His expression was a smug one and rightfully so. He had destroyed her one chance at escape and recaptured her. She couldn't waterbend or run and thus was rendered helpless. She was at his mercy. Katara watched as Zuko went beside the now calmed fire and picked up the stick with the fish and sat with his back against the tree across from her.

"Hey what do you think you're doing? That's _my_ fish!"

Zuko examined the food impassively before taking a bite of the partially burnt meat. "It's mine now." He said with a matter-of-fact attitude. Katara watched with an open mouth as he took another bite of her food. "b-b-but it's mine…." She stammered. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. How could he just sit there and eat _her_ food?

"Zuko please…I haven't eaten anything all day…"

"And that's my problem?" Zuko stood and walked over to where she sat before dropping to his haunches. "If you were smart you would have eaten _and_ brought a supply of food." He said icily and took another bite of the food, exaggerating his chews to further infuriate her. Katara eyes immediately turned to daggers at his insults.

"You-You-You arrogant, good for nothing prince! You think you're so smart don't you? You can't even successfully detain a fourteen year old girl!"

"If that is the case then why is said girl currently bound in chains?" he smirked while taking another bite of the crisped fish.

Katara's mind wracked for some insult that would hurt him. Insult his pride just as he did hers. "You may have captured me but you're so stupid you can't even capture a twelve year old boy!" she snapped.

Katara watched with satisfaction as the prince's smirk faded from his face replaced by anger. Suddenly she had second thoughts about her comment as his anger dipped into rage and his face turned into a threatening snarl. Unfortunately her pride wouldn't let down and she continued her offense. "Now look at you, so desperate that you'll use a harmless girl as bait because you're too weak to capture him on your own!"

No sooner had the words left her lips; Zuko had clasped a hand on her throat and shoved her violently onto the ground. Katara's expression turned from overconfident to petrify as she saw a bright flame flickering hotly next to her face. Her eyes flicked to Zuko who was hovering over her, his hand clasped firmly around her throat, only giving her enough air for her to live.

"If you so choose to make another outburst such as that, I will give you a burn so bad that it would match my own." He snarled. Katara looked at him with wide eyes and nodded softly.

"I can't hear you."

She gulped before giving an audible "Yes."

"Yes, what?" he hissed

"Yes P-Prince Zuko."

"Good."

With that he released her neck and extinguished the flame in his hand. He walked back to his resting area, leaving a stunned Katara on the ground. She shifted her body so her back faced him and with a great shudder of fright, began to cry. For the first time in a long time, she was truly terrified. It also dawned on her that this boy truly was Ozai's son. She had always known that the Fire Lord was his father, but she had never truly held a great fear for Zuko. But now, Katara held a new fear, she saw that he was capable of the same ruthlessness as his father not to mention power. He was the Fire Nation's Prince Zuko, son of Ozai, the Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, the nation who had pushed the world into submission, just as Zuko pushed her into submission, by force.

With this revelation all hope was lost on Katara. She would never see her family again. She would never see her home. She'd be lucky if she was able to see the sun! Katara figured that for the rest of her long life she would only see life through iron bars. Yet her mind would not allow her to make such assumptions without confirmation.

"Zuko?" she called with a broken tone. "Wh-What will you do with me?" Katara looked over her shoulder to see Zuko staring intently at her.

"You will be my prisoner, with less, freedoms than I have allowed you in the past."

"What does that entail?"

Zuko paused in thought. Even he hadn't thought that far. He was just glad to have her in his grasp. "While on land you will remain under my direct supervision and perhaps bound. On the ship your chains will not be necessary. If you demonstrate good behavior I may allow you to wander the ship _with_ a guardian. If not, then I shall leave you in the brig."

There that seemed adequate, though it didn't seem to satisfy the girl. It irked him when she cried further. She made him feel like such a villain. It wasn't _his_ fault that _she_ decided to run away. She knew the consequences of such an action and was stupid enough to challenge his power. If she had been smart she would have just stayed in his custody in the first place. She already had the status of an exclusive guest while on his ship. What more could she have wanted? _Freedom…_ Zuko instantly thought. That much was obvious, but it still frustrated him. They had wasted the whole day going after the girl and had delayed their whole purpose of being on land, his ship still needed supplies.

Zuko sighed and pushed that thought out of his mind. At the moment his attention was not needed on his ship but on how to deal with the girl. Her tears were insufferable and he knew that if his uncle saw this situation, he himself would most likely be scolded. The prince sighed again and rose from his seat going to the girl's side.

"Stop crying, it bothers me."

"Leave me alone" she sobbed. Zuko sighed again and bent down and picked her up, placing one arm under the bend of her knees and the other around her lower body. "W-What are you doing?" she stammered.

"I'm putting you closer to the fire so you won't freeze. And stop stuttering, it doesn't suit you."

Zuko watched as she gave him a wide eyed nod as he set her down by the flames. After she was settled, Zuko gave a sharp whistle and shortly after, his komodo rhino answered by romping into the camp. Zuko rummaged through the bags until he found what he was searching for, a piece of fruit. He returned beside Katara and unlocked the chains to her wrists. Before fully letting her hands go he grasped a wrist and forced her to look in his eyes.

"Don't try anything." He warned. "You know the consequences."

"Yes…Prince Zuko"

Zuko nodded and placed the fruit in her hand before standing up and returning to the rhino. He pulled out a blanket, walked back to the campsite and sat against the tree closest to the fire. Katara had just finished wolfing down her food and only left the stem and pit. He handed her the quilt and watched her take it hesitantly.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked with a quizzical look.

Truthfully even _he _didn't fully know the answer. Perhaps it had to do with the previous morning when he woke up to her face. An image such as that could not be easily erased from his mind. It had been the first time a woman other than family got physically close to him. It also had not been a horrible experience and perhaps he wouldn't mind experiencing it again. Not now of course, but again.

He realized that she was still staring at him awaiting an answer. "I don't like to see women cry" he excused. That wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't really why he was helping her. Maybe he was just becoming slightly attached to his captive. Zuko watched her lie down and figured he didn't like her location. He would much prefer if she were closer, definitely.

"Not over there" he ordered. "Over here"

She shot up and gave him an eerie look. "Why?"

That question was anticipated and Zuko actually did have an answer, a good one too. "I want to be sure that you won't try anything. If you are directly next to me then you will not be able to attempt to waterbend or anything else. This is not up for debate, move _now._" Katara pouted and crawled next to him before sprawling out. Zuko gazed down on her before returning his attention to the fire. Her breathing slowly took a steadied pace and the prince guessed that she was almost asleep. Zuko closed his own eyes and crossed his arms. Sleep slowly tugged at his militant senses and he too began to drift off.

"Zuko…" Katara murmured softly

"What?"

"Thank you…"


	7. Quiet Morning

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

* * *

**Chapter 7: Quiet Morning  
**

The distant songs of birds sweetly called the sleeping prince into the conscious realm and away from a warm slumber. The morning was cool and quiet, other than the soft rustling leaves and the chirping of birds, only the soft breathing of a young girl could be heard. His eyes trailed down to the slumbering figure beside him. Her face lied close to his upper thigh, her hand softly griping a loose fold of his pants. _It seems she has gotten closer._ He mentally noted. It appeared that in her sleep Katara had subconsciously scooted herself closer to his leg for warmth. Zuko allowed a slight smirk to grace his lips. Her action had let him know that it hadn't been _him_ who instigated the cuddle the other night.

Her softened face took the appearance of innocence and bliss, yet Zuko knew better. When she woke she would no doubt have a fire behind her eyes. Perhaps that was one of her qualities that attracted him... Zuko mentally cursed himself, how could he be attracted to _her?_ She was nothing but a worthless Water Tribe peasant! Well perhaps not worthless, but that didn't change the fact that she was of the Water Tribe.

After the previous morning Zuko was able to convince himself that the fact that she was the accomplice of the Avatar was of little importance to her status and personal relationship to him. Besides, with persuasion her stance could easily change to an alliance with him. As long as she did not aid the Avatar, or purposely hinder him from capturing the Avatar she was not his enemy, and currently she was not able to do just that. If she wasn't his ticket to capturing the Avatar she would truthfully just be a simple stranger and he would not need to keep her in his grasp.

Yet for some reason he _did_ want her in his grasp, which suggests an attraction to her and _that_ raised the argument of her background. It was not becoming for a prince to associate with such…trash and here he was, allowing her to cling to him. On top of that he was receiving a sense of enjoyment from the contact.

Perhaps it was not fit for a growing boy to be confined on a ship without female interaction. Zuko remembered overhearing his uncle once saying that it was unhealthy for a young boy to always be around men, something about hormones stirring around the age of thirteen, or had it been fourteen? Anyway, his uncle had said that he needed to interact more with the opposite sex and maybe Katara could be one he could use as such.

Through her he would be able to learn the way females thought and gain a better understanding of how to treat them. He was at the marrying age and when he was re-accepted into his nation his father would most likely have him wed to some noble woman or such. Through a relationship with Katara, he would be able to better serve his future wife. Satisfied with that line of thought, Zuko's conscience quieted of any opposition to an attraction with the girl, after all, it was only going to be superficial and a means where Zuko could further prepare him for other women.

Zuko refocused his attention to her slumbering face. Her chocolate tresses loosely hung over her features disrupting Zuko's view. He reached his hand out and gently removed the stray strands of hair from her face. While doing so his fingers softly brushed against her cheek. Her skin was smooth and warm to his touch. The brief stroke further increased his curiosity. Zuko's eyes fell to her lips which were parted, letting life giving air into her body. His finger tenderly grazed her moistened lips. In reaction her mouth closed and a soft murmur was made in her throat signaling she was waking.

--------------------------------

Katara opened her eyes to find herself disturbingly close to Zuko and further, her hand entwined in his clothing. _This is definitely embarrassing._ She thought. Her eyes cautiously trailed up the profile of his torso and she tilted her head slightly to see his face yet not enough for him to notice that she was awake. Fortunately for her, his attention was off in the distance in front of him. Luckily he hadn't noticed her waking and it gave her a chance to firstly untangle her hand and secondly, study him. She noticed that his expression was oddly calm, which she found very unusual. Zuko was never calm.

Hotheaded? Yes. Angry? Yes. Calm? No. His hands were loosely resting on his stomach; his ankles crossed, further adding to his relaxed appearance. Katara noticed something else about him in this current state. He looked younger. Usually when she would encounter him he would be wearing a scowl but when he wasn't frowning he looked as if he could be around her brother's age, maybe even older…

"If you're done staring at me you can get up." Zuko said while suddenly awaking Katara from her thoughts.

Katara froze and swore her heart jumped through her chest and ran off though she soon dismissed that idea since it was pounding deafeningly in her ears. A numb shock penetrated her mind and trailed through the rest of her body. _Did he know I was awake this whole time!_ Her mind screamed. She saw him nonchalantly tilt his head in her direction to better view her. Katara felt extremely awkward under his heavy golden stare and adverted her own gaze.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked while desperately trying to fight the flush in her cheeks.

"You looked tired so I let you sleep."

"Still…"

"Just say thank you and get up." He interjected while standing up and stretching.

Katara's head snapped up and her mouthed opened to speak, but for once she was lost for words. Katara watched as he went to his komodo rhino and retrieved a cloth package. He dropped it in her lap and turned his attention to the dead fire. "While I get breakfast ready you can go bathe, I trust that you will not try to run."

Katara nodded while giving an audible "Yes". She continued to stare at the boy before her. Why was he being so nice to her? This definitely wasn't a Zuko trait. Being nice? That was a big definite no. Yet here he was, letting her sleep, giving her clean clothing and making breakfast. He almost made her feel bad for running away…_almost_.

"Why haven't you left yet?" he asked giving her a curious, borderline annoyed look.

Katara looked down at her feet. "I can't bathe with my ankles chained."

Zuko nodded before going to her feet and dropping to his haunches. After taking the key from his neck he gently took her ankle into his hands and removed the chains. Katara had expected him to be unbearably rough, not tender. Once finished, Katara retracted her ankles and rubbed one where the cuff had been. With further inspection she saw that the area was slightly red though it was nothing to be alarmed about.

Suddenly she felt a strong hand gently raise her chin. Zuko was inches from her face and stared intently into her eyes. As Katara gazed into his eyes deeply she could feel a blush tinging her cheeks. Their golden hue was simply mesmerizing and the strength that lied behind them, daunting. She shifted her gaze to look at his burn. In all truths it was hideous and it marred his otherwise handsome features. For Katara, their pause seemed to last for eternity when probably really was less than a second.

"Don't you dare try to run." He spoke in a soft tone, but the threat still hung heavy in his voice.

Katara marveled at the smoothness of his voice. When he wasn't yelling his tone was pleasant to the ear. His grip tightened a fraction on her chin, waking her from her thoughts. "I won't run" she replied in an equally soft tone.

Suddenly the situation seemed all too intimate. Here he was holding her cheek, their faces too close for comfort, speaking in hushed tones and staring deeply into each other's eyes. It was too much for her and _way_ too early to sort out. As much as she hated to back down, she allowed him to win their staring contest. She returned her gaze to her ankle and as she did so, he removed his hand from her face. _What was that?_ She thought confusedly. He stood and she watched his feet walk into the forest.

Katara rose and walked to the edge of the water, taking the folded clothing with her. She followed the stream's banks until she was out of sight from the camp. Only then did she strip herself of the dirty, soiled garments and enter into the frigid water. The quiet of dawn allowed her mind to pick apart the mornings events. Zuko had been acting extremely odd that was for sure. He had showed her numerous acts of kindness and gentleness that she didn't know he even possessed. Maybe he just felt bad for the way he had treated her the night before.

Yet even so, it didn't mean that he had to use physical contact. Maybe he had assumed that she liked him! By accident, she must have rolled closer to her in her sleep and latched her hand on to him. What if he had known that her hand was clinging to his clothing? That would give anyone the impression of an attraction. Katara's hand shot out of the water to firmly smack her forehead. _Sometimes I can be so stupid!_ She admonished.

There was certainly a need for her to correct the situation. He probably thought that she liked him in a romantic fashion. His kindness and physical advances only strengthened her suspicions. _If he think's I like him I'll just have to do something to prove to him that I don't!_ The question was what? It would be very difficult to pick an argument with him now since he was being so cordial. Plus, she didn't want to look like the bad guy and have a guilt trip for causing a dispute between them. Yet she couldn't allow the situation to remain as such, it was just too awkward and confronting him could only end up in an even more uncomfortable situation for the both of them.

Katara dipped herself into the water so her whole body was submerged. The coldness helped to clear her clouded mind. _I suppose I'll just go back to camp and play it by ear_. There was little else she could do. Zuko was being nice and until he gave her something to be angry about she would just have to go with it until his weirdness crept her out to the brink of insanity and that possibility seemed very likely.

The young water bender stepped out of the chilled water to place the fresh oversized clothing on her small frame. Zuko had supplied her with a pair of his clothing and just like the last outfit she wore; the crimson pants and shirt were too big. _Well it's better than being naked._ She thought optimistically. Katara leisurely strolled back into camp to find the fire at a nice height and a pot of what looked like porridge hanging over it. However Zuko was not in the camp. _This would be the perfect time to try to escape…_

Katara immediately disregarded the thought. The last attempt it had been less than twenty-four hours before the prince found her. How long would it be this time if she ran, an hour? Five minutes? Katara heaved a sigh and plopped herself down beside the fire. _Still who leaves their prisoner unguarded?_ Katara let herself fall backwards onto the soft forest floor and looked up into the trees. A bird flew to the tree and Katara envied its freedom. Unlike the bird, she'd be imprisoned for most of her life if not all.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked.

Katara shifted her head to get a better look at him. "When did you get back?" she asked curiously. Katara hadn't even heard him approach.

"A few moments ago."

Katara made a mental note of this. He was stealthy meaning he could creep up and she wouldn't notice. That was a dangerous quality and if she couldn't detect him, she would never know if she was being watched or not. Katara heaved another sigh. Another escape would indeed be difficult.

"You still didn't answer my question" Zuko said after a long pause.

"I'm thinking of how hopeless this situation is."

Katara watched as he took a seat beside her and stirred the contents of the iron pot. "Don't you mean how hopeless _your_ situation is?"

"You just have to rub it in don't you?" she asked while rising off of the forest floor. She crossed her legs, held her ankles and gave him a miffed expression. If he had seen it, he ignored her and continued to stir the food. "What is that?" she questioned

"Breakfast." He answered

"No what _is_ it?"

"Food."

"Ugh!" Katara growled and leant forward letting her cheeks rest in her hands.

"You look pathetic."

"You would too if you had to run for a couple hours through a forest only to be tackled by some crazy maniacal prince, bathe in freezing cold water and realize that you might be imprisoned for the rest of your life. How does that sound?"

"Don't get smart with me." He warned

"I'm sorry did you want me to be an idiot?"

"I don't think that would be too hard for you."

This felt much better for Katara. When they argued things were a lot less weird and more normal. She was used to bickering. If it wasn't between her and Sokka then Aang and Sokka would go at it from time to time, but she mostly exchanged banter with her idiotic brother.

"Zuko shut up! Just shut up!" she snapped while rising to her feet.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I need to take a walk."

"No you're not. Sit back down" he warned and shot her an intimidating scowl.

Even though he hadn't yelled Katara could tell that if she disobeyed him things would get ugly. Yet it wouldn't help her situation if he decided to chain her again and she didn't want to give him a reason to, so Katara sat back down with her back facing him and her arms crossed.

Shortly after sitting, a hot bowl of some type of porridge was handed to her. _He's feeding me?_ Katara had been sure that he would have punished her by withholding her food. She accepted the meal and took a spoonful. It wasn't the best cooking in the world but was acceptable. _Better than no food at all_ she thought dryly. Katara looked over her shoulder to find Zuko putting out the fire.

"Where's you're bowl?" she asked

"I ate while you were bathing."

"Oh……. Thank you."

Zuko simply nodded to her gratitude and went to pack the rhino. Katara finished up her breakfast and rose to clean the dishes in the stream. She figured that Zuko would be grateful for her help, though why she even wanted to help him was a mystery to her. Katara returned to the campsite and handed the pot, bowls and spoon to the young prince who securely stowed them away in a bag which was placed on the komodo rhino. Zuko heaved himself onto the beast and took a quick surveying look around their camp. Katara mimicked his actions before admonishing herself. She didn't need to really check the camp for left items. She didn't have anything accept the clothes on her back and even _those_ weren't hers.

"Lets go" Zuko ordered before riding the rhino away from the campsite.

Katara kept a steady pace beside him. She was partially annoyed that he didn't let her ride with him and decided to voice her concerns after the first hour of walking.

"Zuko my feet are getting tired"

"No they're not and don't lie to me again."

_Darn he's good._ Her feet weren't hurting. After all the running she had done in the past week her legs were used to it, but that still didn't mean she wanted to walk unnecessarily.

"Why can't I ride on the rhino with you? There's more than enough room."

"You got yourself out here now you'll depend on yourself to get back."

"URGH! Zuko why do you have to be such a jerk!" she yelled while balling her fists and giving the ground a firm stomp with her foot. Suddenly a ball of fire whipped by her face and Katara instantly froze.

"You _will_ not address me in that manner nor will you further question my decisions. Is that clear?"

Already knowing the consequences if she disobeyed, Katara angrily looked away from him before answering "Yes _Prince Zuko_"

The prince nodded and continued on the path. Well, it had been worth a try. Katara and Zuko traveled for another hour or two before Zuko brought his rhino to a halt. Katara watched him curiously as his head shifted from side to side his expression, alert.

"Zuko what's wrong?" she questioned.

Without even glancing in her direction he answered "Do you smell that?"

Katara sniffed the air but smelled nothing. "Smell what?"

Zuko took another glance around before fixing his eyes on an unseen point. "Katara wait here with the rhino."

With that, Zuko leaped off the beast to go running through the forest. "Great, he leaves _me_ with the beast." She sighed

The rhino only turned in her direction and snorted.

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Zuko hastily darted to the trees towards the appalling stench. The smell that had reached him was of blood and death that he was sure of but the question was whose blood? He deeply hoped that it wasn't of any of his men. As he drew closer to his destination he could hear the sound of flies buzzing loudly meaning that this death was fresh. Zuko could see a trench before him and slowed his pace. As he drew closer he could see a thick cloud of flies. He choked briefly on the suffocating scent of blood and rotting flesh. He wasted no time in placing a clothed arm over his nose and mouth to help guard against the overpowering smell but even that did little to help.

It appeared to be a massacre, human bodies butchered and arrowed. Whoever had done the act had killed out of pleasure and not just to kill. It was the manner in which the bodies were cut that gave this away. Usually when a solider killed they would go for a vital spot for a quick kill. These bodies were unceremoniously slashed in what appeared to be a raid. Two wagons looked like they fell into the ditch from an escape only to be trapped. The whole setting had been a trap by the way the people were only slaughtered in the trench. Zuko deduced that a group of organized bandits had planned this since no righteous military unit would. Military usually took prisoners and slaughtered their own men, not innocent civilians and even then the people weren't killed like animals.

Zuko sighed; he had to return soon before Katara decided to follow him and he couldn't allow her to witness such an atrocity, it would taint her innocence completely and then he would have to deal with her mental state after. Taking a deep breath, Zuko sent a blast of fire towards the cart. Starting with the wagon, Zuko raised a blaze that incinerated the entire trench; it was the least he could do for a burial ceremony. The prince took one last look at the enflamed sight and left to return to his prisoner. When he found her she was squatted down and staring intently at the komodo rhino.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously

"This thing freaks me out and I was trying to convince it to let me through so I could follow you."

"You were talking to a rhino?"

"It wouldn't let me go! Anyways…" she said while standing to her feet and brushing her knees. "What happened?"

"Nothing important." He answered while mounting his beast "come on let's get back to the ship."

Katara gave him an inquisitive look and then nodded. Zuko was relieved she didn't press the issue and glad she wasn't able to follow him. The girl would have been a mental case if she witnessed that obscenity. He himself had witnessed death too many times and knew it well enough that he didn't like it. Zuko had never been bloodthirsty, just power hungry. He inwardly sighed and returned his concentration to the road. Together they made the short journey back to the ship in silence.


	8. Awkward

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

**A/N**: There should be smoothe updating from her on out since I don't think I'll be adding any last minute parts to he story. There are 28 chapters to this fic so far, the reason they aren't posted yet is because I'm a revise freak. I just hate bad grammer and improper spelling . I know I'm not perfect but I've read some fics where they author does not know the difference between their, there and they're or have constantly mispelled a word. So I'm putting all my effort in to give you guys quality writing. Bon appitite!

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Chapter 8 

It had been a long hard walk back to the ship and Zuko had been oddly quiet. Not that he was completely quiet before, but this time he was just oddly quiet. He hadn't spoke of what he had seen and Katara had the feeling that whatever it had been, it wasn't good. Katara couldn't help but be concerned; she was very maternal and felt the need to comfort the disturbed boy. However she knew that she would have to deny the motherly urges. By comforting him she would open a whole new level of relationship for them that she wasn't wholly sure she wanted.

He was cute and was a prince. It was every little girl's fairytale to grow up and fall in love with one. Yet her problem lied with the fact that he kidnapped her, wanted the freedom of Aang and in capturing Aang would jeopardize the freedom of the world. There was no way she would put her needs before the worlds, especially not after seeing Aang so bravely risk his life for the people of said planet.

Katara sighed softly and turned her attention to the ship's crew who were all giving her nasty glares as she walked up the ramp. Zuko no doubt chastised them for her absence and in a way she felt sorry for them. She knew that the prince was extremely hotheaded and could easily pick a fight so few dared challenge his authority. Said prince now followed closely behind her as if to make sure she wouldn't try to run again, though he probably knew she wouldn't. Katara took a quick glance at the sun before being shoved below deck.

"You don't have to push me." She snapped. As if to further exert his authority he pushed her forward once more. "Hey! What's your problem!" Suddenly she was shoved against the wall, his hand firmly holding her jaw. Katara glowered at him, silently refusing to submit. She was _not_ afraid of him. Yes she held a healthy respect of him and his power, but that didn't mean she was afraid.

"I can do whatever I wish" He hissed "and I suggest that you wipe that scowl from your face."

"I'm not afraid of you Zuko."

She saw him lean closer to her and her mind went into an immediate panic. He definitely was invading her personal space and it was beyond discomforting. Fortunately it didn't appear that he held any clear cut romantic intentions for his lips were nearing her ear instead of her mouth which gave her a minuscule amount of relief. Katara could feel his warm breath in the shell of her ear as well as hear her heart pounding loudly. This by no means was a comfortable situation.

"Then perhaps…" he began softly. "I will have to give you something to fear."

Katara's eyes widened with shock but she quickly masked her surprised expression with a glare. _What could he possibly do to make me fear him?_ There was little that could make her cower and few people knew her weaknesses so how could he give her something to fear? Katara returned her attention to him as he removed his hand and stepped back to look down upon his prisoner. Even with his threat Katara had no intention of backing down and held a defiant look. There were numerous times during their pause Katara felt like cowering. Zuko's height and build alone were threatening up close, not to mention the physical strength and power he possessed. She had seen how he had defeated her brother without much of a challenge. Only Aang had proved a fair match so Katara knew that he would make mincemeat of her in a real fight. Their spar only further proved his strength.

"Walk" he firmly ordered and Katara had little choice but to obey. She continued their travel until he stopped her in front of a familiar door. He opened it and pushed her in causing her to stumble onto the floor. "You will stay here until I come get you."

Zuko briefly gazed upon her before shutting the door to leave her in the room. Katara glanced around her surroundings to find herself in his bedroom. Funny, she had been sure he would stow her away in a prison cell. _Oh well it's not like I'm complaining!_ She happily thought. Katara decided that she would catch up on some much needed rest. She had been awake since dawn and walked for the good part of the morning. Besides, she would need to be well rested if she was going to interact with Zuko again. That boy constantly drained her energy either physically or mentally. The young water bender crossed the room to curl up on the prince's futon and shortly after lying down, fell asleep.

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Zuko quickly paced onto the deck of his ship. Hopefully they still would be able to leave this morning to travel to the nearest city for supplies. He _had_ scheduled the trip yesterday but that girl decided that she was going to run away and disrupt his plans. Now he had to re-organize his men and have the carts prepared, the rhino's readied as well as organize a squad of soldiers to accompany them. After seeing the remains of that massacre in the forest Zuko had to be prepared to face anything during the trip. If all went well, they would be able to leave shortly before noon and be back before dark.

The thought of his prisoner briefly flashed through his mind. He wasn't sure if he should be angry or thankful that she decided to attempt an escape. If she hadn't ran he would have never known about the possibility of a group of bandits in the vicinity until it was too late. On the other hand her little stunt delayed him from further pursuing the Avatar and that was unacceptable.

Yet as much as Zuko wanted to remain angry with her, he couldn't. It had all started when he woke up to find her coiled in his arms and since then he had softened his demeanor when interacting with her. From there he found pleasure in any physical contact they shared and craved more. Recently he had been manhandling her more than necessary to satiate his unexplainable hunger. The first few touches had only been to calm his curiosity but he had unknowingly opened a Pandora's Box to a myriad of emotions and wonder. More often than not his mind would be plagued of thoughts of her and in thinking of her, his desire would increase. The more he tried not to think of her the more he did.

Zuko sighed at his dilemma and desperately tried to concentrate on the issue at hand. He would find a way to deal with her later as well as find a way to satisfy his undying curiosity and hunger. The prince turned to his men and vigorously ordered them around to make preparations for the journey.

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Katara stared blankly at the iron ceiling above her. Her nap had been interrupted several times by loud thuds and stomps of the crew moving about the ship. It sounded like they were preparing for travel again meaning that there was a high possibility that she would be dragged along. Zuko most likely wouldn't let her out of his sight since she tried to run from him before. Katara sighed; she really didn't like to stay around him too long. The longer she was with him, the more he would freak her out.

Her stomach gave an unruly growl signifying it wanted lunch. _Sorry stomach, Zuko told me to stay here…_ But then again who was Zuko to order her around? Katara groaned and rose up from the futon. She was not going to lie around hungry and since Zuko hadn't given her a timeframe, there was no telling when he would come to get her. _I guess I'll just have to go to him._ Never in a million years did she ever picture herself actually looking for the hotheaded prince. Katara walked to the door and opened it with surprise. She had half expected it to be locked but then again, Zuko really didn't have to worry about her trying to escape. He had already proved that it was useless.

The young girl aimlessly wandered the ship until her feet led her on deck. Similar to before, sailors hustled too and fro, securing the rhino's and checking the carts. Katara briefly scanned the deck to find that Zuko was not there either. _Maybe he's on shore…_ she thought. She walked to the side of the ship to gain a better view of the activity on land. Before she could even look over the railing a firm hand grasped her arm, she spun around and cold yellow eyes greeted her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zuko asked icily.

"I was trying to find you…" Katara felt his grasp lessen at her statement.

"I thought I told you to stay in my room"

"It was boring in there and besides, I'm hungry."

Zuko glared at her before responding with a sigh and relinquished his hold. "Follow me"

Zuko led Katara through the hallways of the ship until they reached the kitchen. He rummaged through the ice box and pulled out an apple. Katara gratefully accepted the food. She leaned back onto the metal counter while watching Zuko do the same across from her. She bit into the sweet fruit, her stomach rejoiced at the coming food by making an audible cry that fortunately only Katara had heard. She felt Zuko's eyes studying her causing her to shift uncomfortably, while her eyes nervously scanned the room.

"Male clothing does not suit you well." he stated

"They're too big"

"I can see that"

Another pause of silence surrounded the two, one that even Katara felt uncomfortable with. Something about Zuko's behavior had changed. Of course he was still the same old hot headed Zuko but something was different. Katara couldn't place her finger on it, but she knew something had changed.

"Why did you decide to run? Surely you must have known it was futile."

"You would too if you were a prisoner."

"That may be true, but you were not being treated as a prisoner. You had the privilege to wander this ship, my home, without supervision. Why ruin that?"

"I wanted freedom. I wanted to ruin your chances of harming my friends."

"So you were more concerned about your friends who are not imprisoned than yourself? That is admirable."

"It is more important that Aang defeats the Fire Lord and put an end to this war."

"And while he does this, what of you?" he asked while closing the distance between them so he was almost toe to toe with her.

"What about me?"

"You are currently at my mercy." Katara watched as his hand rose to loosely clasp her neck. "If I chose to, I could have you killed."

"You wouldn't do that."

"What makes you so sure that I wouldn't?"

"You need me in order to get Aang."

"Do I? You are not essential for the capturing of the Avatar. I could capture him without you."

"But it would be harder without me." A smirk found its way to the prince's lips filling Katara with angered curiosity. Was he laughing at her? "What's so funny?"

"You are." He scoffed "Moments ago you said that you could care less about your well being and now you are trying to defend you right to exist."

"So?"

The prince placed his free hand on the metal counter behind her and took another step closer. His body was close, too close. Not touching close, but close enough that Katara could feel the natural heat of his body. His hand left her throat and moved upward to tenderly cradle her cheek.

"You are a contradictory creature. You truly don't know what you want."

At this point Katara felt confused. What was his point? Why did he have to be so close to her and gently hold her face? What was he getting at? "I know I want this war to be over."

"What will you do once it is? Do you really think you can return to your quiet life in the South Pole after going through so much?"

"I-I don't know." She stammered. He regarded statement quietly for a moment before responding.

"I thought as much." His eyes studied her with slight amusement, starting from her own eyes traveling down her cheek to her lips. She saw a small smirk grace the prince's mouth as he backed away from her. Suddenly she wasn't so hungry. Katara tossed her partially eaten apple into a nearby bin.

She barely heard the sailor come in and report to Zuko that the crew was ready for departure, her heartbeat was pounding too loudly in her ears. She didn't feel her body drag her dazed mind through the long corridors behind the prince. Katara simply didn't know how to respond. She looked at the prince's back with perplexity filling her mind. She stepped on deck and cursed the bright sun exposed which exposed the redness in her cheeks. Thankfully Zuko's uncle broke the awkwardness.

"Good morning Katara!"

"Good morning" she replied.

"Goodness dear, what are you wearing?" he exclaimed after briefly studying her." We can not have our guest wearing such clothing! It would insult the Fire Nation's hospitality! Isn't that right Prince Zuko?"

"Yes uncle, it would"

Katara felt Zuko's gaze but she was determined not to meet it.

"I hope you are ready for the journey young water bender, we are going to the city of Nashi. In it we will get you some new clothes" Iroh cheerily stated

Katara nodded and forced a grin on her face but truthfully she didn't feel like smiling. Her mind was completely confused and probably in a light state of shock. Zuko's intimate actions were way too much to process and left her mind in a dulled state.

She felt Zuko grip her arm and lead her down the ramp towards the komodo rhinos. _Only two?_ Katara thought. They must have intended her to walk again, or so she thought. Iroh heaved himself up onto one of the rhinos; it grunted at the weight but quickly adjusted. Zuko helped Katara up into the saddle of the other rhino; it shifted a bit and grunted at her unfamiliar presence. _How in the world am I going to steer this thing?_ She had never ridden a rhino before. She cautiously grabbed the leather straps. Zuko leapt into the saddle closely behind her and took the reigns from her.

"I'm driving." He announced

"Do you have to be so close?" she asked, her cheeks turning hot.

"This way I _know_ you can't runaway."

"You don't trust me?" she argued

"No, why should I?" he hissed

Katara couldn't give him an excuse. His reason was valid but the whole situation just seemed wrong. Zuko pulled at the reigns, motioning the large beast to move. Katara tried to distance herself as much as she could from that boy, but it was useless. She still could hear and feel his breathing in her ear.

They traveled for what seemed forever. Katara tried her best to resist leaning back, even when her spine became sore. She would have leaned forward and rested on the rhino's neck, if it wasn't for the fact that her lower backside would push into the prince's pelvis. That was the last thing that she needed. She really was in a no win situation, each choice was bad, either lean back resting on the prince or lean forward and have her rump rest in between his legs. Katara shuddered at the disgraceful image.

Katara concentrated intensely on her surroundings. She watched towering evergreen trees gradually pass by. Only a sliver of the blue sky could be seen through them. The sun was partially blocked out from the trees. Dapples of light could be seen on the dirt road and forest floor. It all was pretty boring. She was very curious about what the sailors behind her were doing, but unfortunately she couldn't turn around. Well, it wasn't that she couldn't turn, but she didn't want to have to confront Zuko, and she knew that if she did look over her shoulder, he would question her behavior.

She instead turned her head and looked at the humming Iroh next to them. He couldn't really hold much of a tune, but that didn't stop him from humming. He looked over to the girl and gave her a smile. She returned the gesture and faced forward, her gaze dropping to the road. She couldn't take the silence anymore.

"How much longer till we get there?" she reluctantly asked her captor with boredom

"We should be there soon" Katara felt his warm voice tickle in her ear. "You should enjoy the ride now, once we get into the city we're going to be walking, a lot."

Zuko's subtle suggestion of relaxation began to tug at her uncomfortable spine. Her backbone screamed for support. How would he take it if she leaned into him? Would he fall into a temper and embarrass her or would he just accept that she was tired or worse, would he accept the gesture and further embrace the contact? She really didn't want him to read too much into it if she did. His actions from earlier in the day proved that he had some sort of attraction to her but she still had not determined what type of attraction he had developed.

Her mind recalled the incident with excruciating detail and Katara felt the warm unease all over again. What had Zuko been trying to do? Seduce her? _Tch, like I could be seduced that easily_. Though she had to admit that she liked his attention, what girl didn't want to feel wanted? It certainly seemed that Zuko had some want for her; the look in his eyes had proved it. Zuko's stance had been made clearly, what was really bothering her was her own stance. _I'd rather not concentrate on that…_ She thought dryly. It was best to leave the lights off in that area of her mind. There was no telling what she might find.

The pain in her back jerked her from her even more uncomfortable thoughts. Her upper body began to softly sway back and forth. Katara tried to straighten up but that only made her even sorer. The irregular and unfamiliar movements of the rhino she was riding didn't help her either. She wondered how soldiers rode these beasts for days survived the strain. She had only been on it for a couple hours and her back was killing her. Maybe it was because the soldiers could relax into any position they wanted, while she was forced to sit up straight for what seemed like eternity. Or maybe the soldiers were more comfortable because usually the one in the front would be driving instead of the one in the back. All of a sudden a strong arm firmly wrapped itself around her waist pulling her tense body into the warm torso behind her. Katara's body shuddered at his touch while her mind screamed with alarm

"Relax" the prince soothed, before removing his arm from her waist and returned his hand to the reigns.

Katara's heart was now beating wildly. Did he sense that she was uncomfortable or were there other motives behind his actions? Katara pushed her suspicions to the back of her mind; they wouldn't change her current situation. She decided to take his advice and let her limbs loosen. She could hear his breathing more clearly and even felt faint beats of his heart. Katara softly smiled at the little things that made the super warrior, human.

They traveled for another hour or so before the trees began to fade and large cream towers with green crowns became visible. Finally after the long journey they had arrived to the city of Nashi.


	9. Pulse

**A/N:** I know, it's been a good forever since my last update, but the chapters now are getting uglier and uglier thus needing more and more revising. I mean, some of these chapters are still in first draft mode and take my word for it, they are hideous. This chapter was originally longer but I had to chop it down some, twas too long! Anywho, hope you like this chapter as much I did writing it!

**Chapter 9: Pulse**

"It's gorgeous" Katara whispered in utter awe of the stunning city of Nashi before her.

The caravan was still quite some distance from the city, but even from a far off, Nashi was simply breathtaking. Cream sandstone edifices protruded from behind a massive wall which protectively encased the entire city. An array of leafy foliage beautifully decorated the city whether it trees, plants, grass or other greenery. The roofs ranged in different shades of jade, complementing the green flora. A mammoth bronze door was the city's only gateway to the outside world, or at least, the only one she knew of.

"It fell under the fire nation's rule long ago." Zuko explained. "It's been under our control for about forty-five years."

She nodded gently, but couldn't help the small pang of sympathy that stirred within her. Katara hated to hear of Fire Nation victories because death, anguish, pain, and loss were often linked with them. The people of the defending city no doubt lost many citizens to the cruel tyranny, just as she had lost her mother to those ruthless soldiers. The Fire Nation no doubt razed the strong city as well as murder whoever stood in their way.

A heavy twinge of grief constricted her heart as past experience flooded into her mind. Her mother had been one who stood in the Fire Nation's way and was ruthlessly murdered because of it. Katara's hands tightened their grip on her crossed arms in reaction to her sorrowful memories. Her wounds still had not healed properly even though her mother had passed years ago. Katara hated the men responsible and everything they stood for.

Tch, and here she was, casually resting against the chest of the prince of the Fire Nation and had enjoyed it! He who captured her against her will to obviously use her in some twisted plot to gain access to the little family she had left. It was he who brought turmoil to the South Pole causing her to abruptly leave and accompany the Avatar. It was his nation which started this war causing her father to abandon her without a trace and it was his nation which murdered her mother!

Why in the world was she now resting against him so placidly! It was _his_ relation which started and continued this war which brought forth death and pain. What gave her the idea that tolerating his presence was O.K! Katara heatedly rose up off his chest to scoot forward to put some distance between their fleshes. Unfortunately her rash behavior did not go unnoticed by the perceptive prince.

"What's wrong?" he asked oh-so-innocently.

Truthfully, everything was wrong. The situation between them and the world's turmoil was entirely wrong, but Katara was not ready to share her thoughts quite yet. Instead she opted for a quicker approach. "Leave me alone." she growled, her response coming off a tad harsher than intended. Katara silently prayed that he wouldn't pursue the issue.

But of course this was Zuko and he never knew when to just shut up. The rhino pulled to a halt and Katara felt Zuko's hand loosely grasp her shoulder, in what she supposed was a comforting gesture. His touch did the exact opposite. The contact was like fire and only fueled her anger. She jerked herself free of his grasp and roughly leapt off the beast to heatedly stride on the dirt path towards the city. She heard his feet land heavily on the dirt path behind her in pursuit.

"Where do you think you're going?" he hissed

"I'm going to get away you!" she all but yelled.

Suddenly Zuko's iron grip latched on to her upper arm. At his touch Katara's compressed rage and hate sprung forth. She quickly spun around and cocked her hand back, violently sending her palm forward to connect with his face. To her discontent, he caught her wrist with his free hand just before she violated his person. Katara wrathfully glared into his scowling face, her sapphire eyes like ice.

"What has gotten into you!" He snarled, tightening his grip marginally on her captured wrist.

Katara desperately tried to wrench herself from his grip but was unsuccessful. When kicking failed as well, her frustration only increased. "I HATE YOU!" she screamed.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh interjected, hoping to calm the escalating situation. "Let her go..."

In response Zuko snarled and flashed him a sharp glare. "No," the prince darkly replied before returning his attention back to her. "We have to talk."

Before Katara could object Zuko had unceremoniously hauled her body over his shoulder and took long strides towards his rhino.

"PUT ME DOWN YOU BASTARD!" she screamed while hammering her balled fists into his spine.

As much as she willed him to hurt, her efforts were in vain. Her attacks did not seem to affect him, if only she had water, _then_ she could do some damage, but unfortunately she didn't have any. Katara could only seethe as she watched him through livid eyes when he mounted his komodo-rhino and galloped into the bordering forest. The rhino came to a steady halt in a small clearing. Zuko leapt off the rhino and brutally disengaged her from her position over his shoulder by semi- throwing her off. Luckily for her, she landed on her feet in front him. Sad thing was she was on her heels trying desperately to balance herself.

Before she could even get proper footing Zuko's hand violently shoved against her lower neck causing her to viciously crash into a thick tree behind her. She winced at the sharp pain that shot up her spine and mutely swore under her breath. As the initial shock subsided from her mind she quickly remembered what was pressing her so firmly into the bark. Her eyes fluttered open immediately to meet a pair of fiery gold ones glaring at her with great intensity. Zuko had effectively pinned her against the tree; one hand firmly secured her hands above her head while his other pressed against her collarbone. She could already tell he was far too close for kicking.

"What has gotten into you?" Zuko snarled.

"Leave me alone. Don't you have anything better to do than terrorize young girls?" she spat.

His hand threateningly slid from the base of her neck to her throat. "Answer me."

"And what will you do if I don't? Kill me?" she snapped. Zuko scowled and stiffened his grip on her neck. "You know what Zuko? The 'hate' in 'I hate you' is not strong enough to express my feelings toward you. No, the words abhor, loathe, and deplore. _Those_ are more befitting for you and your kin."

Katara watched his eyes close and his face twist into a horrific snarl. Unexpectedly after, he took a deep breath and exhaled, extinguishing his anger with calm. No…that's not what she wanted. She wanted him to be angry, for him to yell and shout at her so she could release her anger without guilt. He was denying her that. Why?

His eyes reopened and instead of seeing the flames of anger Katara recognized regret. "Is it your hate that is bothering you?"

Katara broke his intense gaze instantly and settled it on the rustling grass beside them. She couldn't bear to look into his eyes. Those golden orbs held an emotion she had encountered many times before, pain, more specifically a settled form of guilt and anguish. Katara had seen it many times in her brother's eyes when their mother died and when their father left for the war. She also had seen it many a time in her own reflection, buried, but still there.

Suddenly she felt cornered. Her past anger and hurt which she had so neatly stuffed down was coming undone under the scrutiny of his eyes. She felt the pressure building and knew if she didn't escape soon her grief would overwhelm her.

"Katara, what's wrong?"

"I don't have to tell you anything." She whispered gently in a cracked tone. Her eyes tinged once again threatening to tear but the pressure was too much. She had tried her best to steel herself against the emotion but once the first tear fell, the whole floodgate opened. She missed her family too much. The soft tears broke into deep sobs of sorrow. Katara hadn't ever asked for any of this. All she had wanted was to live happily with her family as a whole, a complete family where her mother and father were present. The most she would have wanted was to go to the North Pole and study the art of water-bending, but unfortunately fate did not have that in store for her. No, her fate was to be the prisoner of a heartless prince and to be separated from loved ones.

Katara distantly felt Zuko's hold change from one to pin her, to a more soothing one where an arm wrapped around her waist to pull her close and the other burying deep within her tresses to tuck her head under his chin. She twined her own arms around his chest and sobbed heavily into his comforting form. For a fraction in time she allowed herself to believe it was her father comforting her before he left for the war…her brother supporting her after their mother died… but as soon as the fantasy had begun, it had ended. This was not her loving father or her protective brother. This was her enemy. This was a man who had no qualms in using her to get what he wanted. This was a man who belonged to the lineage of the cursed Fire Lord who mercilessly started the war. This man and his kin ruined her picture perfect life with her loved ones. But more confusedly, this man was consoling her.

Katara was jarred out of her grief drenched thoughts with the feeling of a masculine hand gently stroking her back. His warm cheek gently pressed against her temple. His gentle voice tenderly hushed her in her ear, whispering words to comfort and calm her. Unfortunately his actions did little to calm her and only encouraged her tears.

Her muscles loosened and she felt her legs give way to exhaustion. She felt him smoothly dip down to capture her weakening legs sliding an arm under her knees while moving the other to her spine. He gently drew her closer to him and positioned her so her head comfortably rested in the crook of his neck. Zuko lowered them down until he was resting against the tree with her in his lap.

Katara's tears had slowed and soft sobs replaced the violent ones that had previously assaulted her. Her entire body felt weak from her grieving. Zuko's warm figure and embrace only lulled her closer to the impending sleep. Katara didn't want this. She didn't want to be comforted by her enemy. His actions only brought forth more confusion. Years of biased hatred were being shaken by his compassionate behavior. Part of her wanted to accept his warmth but the other reminded her of his actions and the actions of his people which caused her so much hurt. Katara felt as if she was at war with herself, and it was he who had started it. Before she let fatigue claim her slumber sought body she quietly whispered her sentiments to the boy who held her now.

"Zuko…I hate you."

----------------------------------------------

The caravan of men and one girl finally entered through the thick bronze gateway to enter the glorious city of Nashi. Passerby's stopped and stared at the group, whispering among themselves. Those who were not concerned with Zuko and his men bustled hurriedly through the streets tending to their lives. Little children scurried around laughing with each other while women merrily gossiped around the food vendors and clothing lines.

Zuko noticed a group of young boys staring at the girl in his arms, giving her suggestive smiles. His eyes drifted down to said girl to find her wide awake and blushing. She gently distanced herself from his body, her eyes never leaving those idiotic boys. Fresh anger started to rise in the young prince as he observed the situation. He decided that he did not like the way those guys were staring at his prisoner. Zuko effectively sent an hard icy glare towards the boy's who immediately found the ground and the wind more interesting to gaze at than the girl before him.

He didn't know why he cared about those boys gawking at Katara or why it irked him so. All he knew is that they had better keep their eyes to themselves before they ended up eating dirt. Zuko glanced at Katara who had turned her attention to the vast city before her. As much as he wanted to be angry with her, the furious emotion refused to stir and dissipated with every view of her. Zuko couldn't even find it in his heart to put a punishment into effect for her. Not that he was going soft, but Katara's actions had been of severe hurt and pent up anguish. Though what caused her so much pain, Zuko knew not. All he knew was that it caused her to deeply hate him.

Those three words she spoke had caused a giant rock to plummet into his gut. He had felt like someone had taken a knife and brutally slashed him in two. Her words had hurt him, plain and simple and for his pain it was only right that he would be angry with her, right? Wrong. Instead he felt content in just watching her movements and listening to her gentle breathing.

He supposed that somewhere deep down that he felt guilty. Her hate for him and his people could not have sprung up overnight. Zuko could recognize stuffed hate and anger when he saw it, and he guessed that her emotions had more than enough time to fester. Perhaps that was why he couldn't bring himself to retaliate against her brutal rant. He felt guilty that it was most likely the fault of his family which had hurt her so.

Zuko cleared his mind of his musings, now was no time to beat him up for her misfortune. He pulled his rhino to a stop and dismounted. He turned to help Katara out of the saddle generously holding out a hand for her to take. She looked at his appendage as if it belonged to a rotten corpse and casually slid off the rhino without help. It was almost ironic that her foot managed to get tangled in the stirrup of the saddle, causing her to gracelessly fall forward. For a split second Zuko debated on letting her fall to the ground but decided against it. His uncle would never let him live it down. With quick reflexes, Zuko caught her by her waist and gently eased her to her feet.

"Be careful." he murmured.

"Shut up Zuko." She snapped.

Zuko tightened his grip on her waist so her body was pressed to his. "You should learn your manners. How could you possibly rebuke me when I have rescued you from embarrassment and injury?"

"You're embarrassing me now and if you don't let me go I'll injure you!" She snapped.

The prince only smirked devilishly and released her. "I hardly think you could." He replied smoothly before taking his uncle's rhino and his, to tie them up to a nearby post. If there hadn't been more pressing issues he would have fully challenged her threat.

Somewhere his conscience reprimanded him for his behavior. On the norm Zuko should have let her fall and would not held her like he had. However lately he hadn't been acting like himself. Catching her was the gentleman and princely thing to do. On the other hand, holding on to her was something entirely different. When she had been in his arms he found her irresistible. He enjoyed breathing in the crisp aroma of the sweet ocean which clung to her. Her flushed cheeks had made her look adorable and her pouted lips…tantalizing.

"Ahh, it's good to be off of those beasts, it's bad for my old bones!" Iroh chuckled while stretching his limbs. "Now, are you ready to do some shopping?" he asked with a spark in his eye.

Zuko, who had returned in time to hear the comment, rolled his eyes. He let his uncle lead them to every little shop that caught his attention. The man stopped at tea vendors, and tasted each flavor before buying his favorites. He stopped into a couple figurine stores and purchased any trinket that fancied him.

Frankly Zuko was bored. He did not enjoy following his uncle around on his shopping endeavors. The man was already a packrat and in his opinion his uncle did not need any more treasure to horde. Shortly after the shopping expedition began, Zuko opted to ignore his uncle's ramblings in favor of concentrating on the girl beside him.

Just a little over an hour ago she was sobbing violently into his chest and now she was smiling as if nothing had happened. It irked him that she would so selflessly push her emotions down to comfort others. It was obvious that she didn't want anyone to share her pain and that she was determined to carry her burdens on her own. Her distaste for him could not have spurred the torrent of tears. His exploitation of her was not personal and she knew that as well.

Katara had blamed Zuko and his family for her misfortunes so her grieving had to be related to the war. Perhaps she was angry that her village was attacked? No, that couldn't have been it. When he had visited the humble village was in moderate shape if you overlooked the lack of men…Wait, could it be that a male family member was sent into the war, possibly her brother or even her father? That could have stirred up her grief…

"Katara, how about we get you some new clothes? Personally men's clothing on women doesn't look proper." Iroh said winking at Katara.

Zuko watched as Katara nodded and the two of them followed his uncle into the small shop. It was a bright midsized room which contained many racks of clothing of different fabrics and hues. A couple of arm chairs were placed near a curtain which probably led to the dressing rooms. Zuko watched as his uncle picked out luxurious gowns displaying her nation's colors.

"Try these on" The elder man suggested.

Katara nodded and proceeded to the far end of the room and went behind the curtain to the changing stalls. This event seemed a little more entertaining than watching his uncle buy random items. Zuko casually plopped down in an arm chair and propped his feet up on the ottoman. The prince watched idly as his uncle weeded through the garments heaping several into the unfortunate clerk's arms. His uncle looked prepared to buy the girl a new wardrobe.

"Uncle is this necessary?"

Iroh briefly stopped his browsing to turn towards his nephew. "Of course it is! Not unless, you like seeing her in your clothing…" His uncle shot him a suggestive glance.

"No! Of course I don't!" Zuko snapped while trying to fight the tinge of pink in his cheeks.

"Well you certainly didn't object too strongly before..." Iroh coolly observed before returning his attention to the racks of clothing.

His uncle's comment only flustered him further causing him to sit up abruptly in his chair. "Uncle if you are implying that I am-"

Zuko's tirade was stopped short as Katara stepped out of the stall. Zuko gapingly stared at the transformed girl. He was used to seeing her in her battle worthy clothing, things that were baggy and loose to provide better movement. What she wore now completely contrasted her usual appearance. The midnight blue garment she wore greatly resembled the Qipao but differing from the more traditional gowns, this one exposed her shoulders and possessed sleeves resembled that of a kimono. The fabric around the top was heavily embroidered with indigo and white thread creating a pattern of the ocean and moon. A steel blue obi was tied tightly around her waist and pulled into a simple knot in the back. Two slits cut through the fabric stopping around her mid thigh, exposing her legs. A pair of embroidered slippers adorned her feet. Zuko suddenly had the urge to gently touch her exposed skin, curious to how it would feel.

"You look beautiful!" The old general exclaimed while thoroughly inspecting the garment.

"Thank you sir" she replied meekly while toying with her braid.

"What do you think Zuko?" Iroh asked.

Briefly his eyes captured her sapphire ones before trailing down to study every detail of the effects of the dress and back up. He noticed that she blushed a deep shade of red under his gaze.

Zuko felt his uncle nudge his arm. "Well Zuko?"

The prince coughed roughly and straightened himself trying to regain his composure. "She looks fine…IT looks fine, it looks fine... The dress is fine."

Smooth. Zuko watched as she speedily turned to head back to the dressing room looking redder than before if possible. The soft sway of her hips put Zuko in a trance leaving him staring at the doorway long after she left.

"Prince Zuko what were you saying before?" his uncle slyly asked while nudging him again to wake him up from his thoughts.

Zuko could already tell that his uncle would never let him live this down. "I'm going outside, I need some fresh air" he grunted turning from his uncle.

"I bet you do!" the man heartily laughed.

Zuko growled at him before storming out of the store. The air outside was much cooler than the air inside the store. The prince decided that he would go check on his men since shopping for clothing was too… Well, he wasn't sure what it was. All that he knew was if she came out of the stall wearing anything else like _that_ he wouldn't know what he would do. The prince felt a tad guilty for abandoning the girl with his uncle. He knew the man could become quite tiresome especially when he was on a shopping spree. Poor Katara would have to endure the man all on her own.

Zuko continued through the streets until he reached his crew. It looked like they were nearly finished packing the supplies. Heavy wooden crates were stacked onto three teams of rhino's. The men were busy securing the cargo and heaving the last few crates onto the carts. Zuko watched as the head sailor ran up to him, saluting before speaking.

"Sir, we are almost finished packing the crates on the carts."

"Very good" The prince replied approvingly.

"Um sir, the locals have informed us that a bandit group is in the area. Some reports say earth benders accompany them. Word is that their attacking every caravan that passes through their territory." He stammered.

Just as he had thought, the men who were behind that massacre were bandits. "Tell the men to be prepared to fight if necessary." Zuko ordered.

This would be a problem. There was no way to indicate how many men there were, there could be as little as five to as many as fifty. A battle could hinder his efforts of capturing the Avatar and there was always the possibility of casualties and the prince did not have much crew to spare. More importantly Katara, his only lead in capturing the Avatar would be in danger.

He doubted that she would be able to defend herself properly since he had taken away her water-skin. That would mean he would have to protect her himself, but if there was a large number of men it would be a difficult task. To add to his stress he and his men also had to protect the cargo they had just purchased. Zuko was not too keen on losing any of the supplies because if he did it would only take that much longer to restock and it would take that much longer to continue his pursuit of the Avatar. Zuko was so lost in thought he didn't notice his uncle or Katara return.

"What is the matter prince Zuko?" Iroh curiously asked with a look of concern forming on his wrinkled face.

"The men have reported a rebel gang with earthbenders nearby." He answered with his mind still in deep concentration.

"Well, we will just have to be more cautious" his uncle replied smiling.

Zuko looked over at Katara. She had chose to wear the Qipao like dress he had seen her in out of the store. Unfortunately the prince's mind was too preoccupied with the impending threat to fully appreciate the beautiful gown she wore.

"Uncle tell the men to hurry up and secure the packages, we're leaving now!" He hissed.

"So soon? I haven't even found the pai sho tile I was looking for."

"We need to get back to the city before dusk. It will be harder to see the enemy during nightfall."

The retired Fire Nation general smiled at his nephew and placed an approving hand on his shoulder. Zuko helped Katara into the saddle of a well rested komodo rhino before hoisting himself up behind her and taking the reigns. He turned the rhino so it faced the sailors who now promptly got into their positions, preparing themselves for the long ride back to the ship.

"Uncle!" he yelled, "Follow on the rear to guard against any attacks from behind!"

Iroh nodded gently. Zuko led his men out through the thick metal gates and onto the road which would lead them back to their ship. The sun was already setting turning the sky crimson, the sight only added to Zuko's frustration. Would they make it back to the ship before night? Could they defend against an attack? The only forces Zuko had were himself, his uncle, and a small handful of soldiers and the sailors.

"Are you always so rude to your elders?" Katara asked quietly, interrupting his stressing thoughts "A please or thank you couldn't hurt."

"You are lecturing _me_ on manners?" he snapped.

"I was taught to show respect towards my elders, that we shouldn't talk back, or order them around. Well, at least not to your family."

"Well in my society, respect is not gained by age or relation; it's gained by strength and wealth." He replied heatedly.

"That's terrible..."

Her pity only annoyed him further. "Well it's better than an uncivilized Water Nation tribe!" Zuko countered.

"Hey!" she yelled while turning around to glare angrily at him. "You didn't have to take it so personal!"

"_Me_ taking it personal? You were the one who compared my actions to _your_ upbringing!"

She gave him a cross look before snapping her head back around. He knew that he was taking out some of his frustrations out on the girl. His attitude really didn't have anything to do with her. He heavily sighed, and turned his gaze at the girl's back.

"Katara how old are you?" he asked

The question caused her to immediately straighten up. Zuko noticed that when she did this, the curve of her bottom became more noticeable. She swiveled her head to face him and he quickly snapped his eyes to hers, praying she hadn't seen where his line of vision had been.

"Why?" she asked, her voice laced with skepticism

"Answer my question."

She gave him a long sideways glance before slowly continuing. "I'm fourteen."

"I'm sixteen, and technically that makes me your elder and to me it looks like you've already broke a couple of your own rules." He said passively

Her expression softened and she raised her eyebrow. "You are _not_ my elder Zuko. Plus you're not even old!"

"Now didn't your nice grandmother teach you not to argue to your elders?" he mocked

"You are not my elder!"

Suddenly a small glint caught his eye. He grabbed Katara over her mouth and pulled her back into his chest. With his other hand he caught the slender object that had speedily approached them. His hand stung at the contact and he inwardly cringed. He looked at the arrow in his hand and snapped it in half, throwing it to the ground.

"What are you doing!" she yelled, frantically trying to escape his grasp. Her struggles only caused him to hold her tighter.

"Will you shut up!" he hissed. Thankfully she ceased her squirming and quieted down.

Zuko scanned the neighboring forest with intense scrutiny. Scarlet blood began to trickle down his clenched fist but he chose to ignore it.

"Zuko your hand, it's bleeding!" She suddenly exclaimed in a whisper while sitting up to seize his hand.

"Not now Katara." He attempted to pull his hand away but she refused to release it.

"Nonsense it just needs-"

Suddenly the forest seemed to sparkle with multiple glints of silver.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" he screamed suddenly while grabbing Katara by her waist and hastily leaping onto the ground behind his komodo-rhino to escape the barrage of arrows that speedily approached them.

Heavy roars were soon accompanied by large groups of men who rapidly approached the caravan. Zuko pulled Katara to her feet and gently pushed her behind a nearby bush on the side of the road. He noted the fearful look in her eyes and felt his heart tug, he really didn't want to leave her side but he had to go face those men.

"Stay here." he gently ordered before sprinting off towards the fray.


	10. Past

**The Warring Heart** - a Zutara fanfic

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story

* * *

**Chapter 10: Pasts**

A massive elemental battle had erupted near the caravan between Zuko's crew and a large gang of bandits. Or at least that's what Katara thought the invaders were. Her brain was still in shock and it wasn't processing the information too well. She numbly observed the scene behind a large shrub where Zuko had ordered her to stay in protection. Bright flames mixed aggressively with stone causing a thin warm cloud of dust to kick up.

She could clearly feel the vibrations of the bended stone and feel the heat from the bursts of flame. In her opinion she was way too close to the action. On impulse, Katara stumbled to her feet and sprinted from her minuscule hiding place, to make a dash for shelter behind a tree in the forest. Screw Zuko and his horrid hiding place. He had abandoned her to fend for herself behind a bush, a lousy BUSH! He could have placed her with the rhino or just take her into the fray alongside him. Even if she didn't have any water to bend, Katara could have done _something_. She hadn't watched idly while Sokka trained with hand to hand combat. She could definitely throw a punch or two.

Still, it was unfair Zuko had ordered her to stay put behind some shrub like she was a damsel in distress. Besides his hiding place sucked, it had left her out in the open and was too close to the fight. Zuko obviously wanted to play hero, which was rare role for that selfish prince, but then again he had been taking on some odd roles lately. Curious to how her 'prince charming' was fairing, she inched her head to the side the tree with her back firmly pressed on its bark. Her eyes scanned the uproar to find Zuko viciously battling an earth bender. The strength of his flame hurled his opponent onto his back unconscious. She definitely knew now that he had gone easy on her during their spar. Katara gulped and snapped her head back, resting it on the tree. Zuko and Iroh seemed to have everything under control and had looked fine. Not surprisingly, half of her wished that a stray stone would knock some sense into that prince's head.

Suddenly an agonizing sharp sting seared through her right shoulder. A pained gasp burst from her mouth as her left hand went to cup her shoulder. Katara winced and slowly looked at the area of pain. She found an arrow was deeply lodged in her flesh, pinning her to the tree. The blue cloth around the arrow was beginning to turn a dark shade of purple signifying that she was indeed bleeding. A sinister laugh was heard and she snapped her head up in horror to find a man steadily approaching her. He was tall and brawny. His unkempt hair resembled a dirty shade of brown. A square jaw held an evil grin as muddy eyes stared hungrily at her. A group of men followed behind him, sharing the same menacing look that he wore. She suddenly wished prince charming would hurry up and save her already, judging by the look in the man's eye, he had an ill fate concocted for her in the very near future.

"Well men, look what we ave' ere'." He mused, running his tongue over his yellowing teeth. "We gots erselves' a nice ittle' damsel in distress."

The men laughed, exposing their own rotting teeth. The leader stepped closer and rubbed his calloused paw on her cheek. Katara grimaced at his touch. It made her feel so dirty to have that trash handle her. Heck, she would prefer Zuko's odd attention than this man's.

"Ooh, your nice n' soft" he grinned.

His voice sent terrorizing chills down her spine. On its own will her mouth screamed, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" in reaction.

The words had barely left her lips when a fist violently connected with her cheek causing her body to jerk leftward. Her vision spotted white and a high-pitched cry tore through the air. Her pierced shoulder throbbed brutally as the arrow tore through her flesh. Katara quickly straightened up before any more damage could be inflicted to her already bleeding arm. She firmly held her shoulder in place with her uninjured hand. Distantly, she felt a sticky liquid trickle down her chin but at the moment that was the least of her problems. Katara glared at the man intensively with defiant and anger clouded eyes.

"Don't ya know it aint nice to ell' at people?" he sneered. "Ya know whot men?" he turned from Katara and started walking towards his gang "I don't think I like dis' one anymo'. She's too bloody and she's got a ittle' too much bite." He turned towards his archer "Kill er"

"Gladly sir" the man icily replied.

Katara's eyes widened in horror as the man notched a slender arrow into his bow and aimed it for Katara's head. He slowly drew back the string smiling. Tears softly streamed from Katara's shut eyes. She wouldn't torture herself by watching her impending death. Mental images of her brother and Aang flashed through her mind. She felt so sorry to have to leave them this way. All the things she had wanted to do, all she had wanted to become, now seemed like a far off dream never to be fulfilled. This was where it would end for her.

Her body tensed, awaiting the arrow that would bring her death. Unexpectedly, an earsplitting scream ripped through the silence, one that was not her own. An intense heat suddenly appeared before her. Katara snapped her watery eyes open to find a familiar figure standing protectively in front of her, his body emitting an intense, sweltering heat.

"Zuko…" she softly whispered.

Katara's gaze floated down to the severely scorched archer whose body was convulsing spasmodically. She doubted that he would live; his skin was utterly destroyed, though it could have just been wishful thinking on her part.

"Who the el'…" The leader wasn't able to finish his sentence; Zuko had rapidly closed the distance between him and the man in the blink of her eye and sent a blazing fist deep into his gut.

The man coughed a couple of times before keeling over and curling himself on the forest floor staring wide eyed into the distance.

"If the rest of you wish to escape here with you're health intact I suggest you leave now." the prince snarled.

The men left their leader where he had fallen, and scattered wildly trying to escape the enraged boy. Once they had all left, Zuko turned and glared fiercely at Katara. She suddenly felt vulnerable and helpless under his gaze. All the relief that had accompanied her rescue was sucked out of her by his hard stare. He clearly was not happy with her.

"I thought I told you not to move!" he roared.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, breaking the intense eye contact. "I thought, I thought you were just going to abandon me."

Katara wiped her face with the back of her hand trying to remove her tears. She soon realized that she had only succeeded in smearing blood across her cheeks. Katara felt like a helpless wreck. He was making her actually feel guilty for disobeying his orders. Further, a big chunk of her pride had been hacked down by her absolute need for rescue, and even more when _he_, her number one enemy had rushed to her aid. She felt Zuko approach her and heard him take a deep breath. She suddenly noticed his hand was reaching out to touch her bleeding shoulder.

"No please don't touch it!" she pleaded, her eyes screaming for mercy.

He calmly gazed into her eyes and cupped her face with his hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb "Shh, trust me" he cooed.

His stare was completely mesmerizing. It no longer held the raging fires of earlier, but now displayed soft warmth. Katara nodded gently and let him inspect her wound. He delicately touched the tender area but even with all his caution his touch sent great jolts of pain through her body. Zuko began to slowly peel back the clothing that surrounded it. Katara winced at the hurt and glanced at her shoulder. Her entire arm was drenched in sticky red fluid. She quickly twisted her head in the opposite direction not wanting to see the gruesome damage. Her shoulder was now fully exposed, as was the arrow that was in it.

"That's in deep." Zuko whispered. He softly massaged the area before continuing. "This is going to hurt a bit."

Zuko lit a small flame which danced above the tip of his pointer finger. He carefully burned the shaft until the tip was close to her skin, letting the feathered part fall to the ground. Before Katara could object he quickly pulled her forward into him, which left the bloody, burnt arrow in the tree and a howling Katara in his arms. Her mind screeched simultaneously with her voice as hot pain charged through her body and mind. She felt her warm blood spill out of her wound. Katara buried her head in Zuko's chest, sobbing violently. He pulled her back to tie a piece of ripped cloth tightly around her bleeding shoulder. She distantly felt him pick her up and sit her down cradling her in his lap while he rested against the tree. With his free hand he applied pressure to her wound. Katara continued to cry and in response, Zuko gently shushed her in an attempt to calm her. An exhausted Iroh ran over to the two, his face full of concern.

"Uncle, can you get some bandages from the wagons?" Zuko asked before adding a sincere, "Please?"

Katara wearily watched Iroh nod before turning towards the direction of the carts. Somewhere some part of her was touched by the 'please' Zuko had said, though she wouldn't dare comment on it. Katara had to admit, she was starting to get very comfortable in his arms and she didn't want to do anything that would cause her to leave his protection. She blamed it on the loss of blood, either that or the fact that her mind had had one shock too many.

"Hey Zuko, this is like déjà vu isn't it?" she hiccupped, forcing a grin onto her tear stricken face.

"Yeah I guess it is." He replied softly.

"We're going to have to stop making a habit of this."

He only nodded gently in response. A servant soon appeared with a bundle of clean bandages. Katara cringed as Zuko removed the makeshift dressing and carefully replaced it with a fresher one. She could feel the pull of unconsciousness on her weary body. Distantly she felt him rise and pull her tightly into his chest. Katara allowed her head to loll on his shoulder, no longer caring about whom he was and only caring that he was helping her. Zuko carefully mounted his rhino and sat her in front of him securing her by the waist with his arm, letting her limp body rest against him. Katara could feel she was slipping into sleep but held on long enough to address something that had been bothering her since they had arrived in Nashi.

"Zuko, I'm sorry."

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Glints of silver twinkled in the shadowy sky. Invisible clouds blocked out sections of the glittering tapestry as well as the moon which usually showed its guiding face. A soft salty breeze embraced a fatigued band of men and one girl, who where wearily returning to their ship. The journey back had been a quiet one. Most of the men were tending to their wounds or double checking the cargo. Even the energetic Iroh began to feel the sweet tug of sleep. Katara had already fallen prey to a sweet slumber. Her body was secured by her captor on a traveling komodo rhino.

The indestructible Zuko also started to feel tiredness through his aching limbs. The encounter with the group of rebels had taken much energy out of him, more than he had thought. He had gained a few scrapes and cuts, but compared to the injuries of Katara, his were nothing. He softly stared at the sleeping girl who was currently resting on him. He carefully studied her face, particularly the swollen cheek where that bastard had hit her. He pulled her closer into him and affectionately placed his warm cheek on her brow.

Anger and guilt swirled aggressively in his mind. Why did she disobey him? He had told her to stay put for a reason. He had left her near the brush so he could keep an eye on her. He could clearly remember the panic he felt when he heard her scream but couldn't find her. If she hadn't run off he would have been able to reach her a lot sooner to keep those damned men away from her.

Fire burned in Zuko's eyes as he focused on Katara's blood stained shoulder. If she hadn't ran, she never would have been shot with that arrow._ If I had been that damned Avatar she probably would have listened_. He thought darkly. Zuko gazed hatefully into the distance, questioning as to why Katara hadn't trusted him. He never physically harmed her while she was his prisoner, nor had he treated her badly. Well, not that badly, not to the extent where her life would be seriously threatened. Usually his threats were nothing but bluffs. He wouldn't dare hurt her severely. Zuko sighed deeply. There was nothing he could do about the past, and dwelling on it would not help her or him.

After hours of riding through the dark, the group finally arrived at the ship. The crew that had remained on the ship hurriedly unloaded the carts, while the servants went to tend to their masters. Zuko carefully climbed off the rhino with Katara cradled in his arms. One of the prince's servants speedily approached them.

"Sir, do you need anything?" the servant panted.

"Yes, get me hot water and fresh bandages. Have them sent to my room." He wearily replied.

"Will that be all Sir?"

"Yes"

Zuko made his way through the ship to his room, being careful not to bump Katara into anything. He opened the heavy door and laid Katara on his futon with her stomach facing the ceiling. While he awaited his servant, Zuko removed his armor and plated shoes. Shortly after, a knock was heard and the servant appeared with the water, bandages, and a silver tray. Another servant followed behind him, carrying several parcels which held all of the items that were purchased for Katara, heaped into his thin arms.

"Sir here is what you asked for." He said before continuing. "You're uncle suggested that I bring you some food and tea as well."

Zuko nodded to the man as he and the other servant bowed and took their leave. Zuko removed Katara's bloody bandages from her shoulder. The next matter would be her clothes… Her dress was heavily stained with blood. Unfortunately there weren't any other females on the ship to change her and he didn't dare trust her with his crew or his perverted uncle. That only left him. Zuko took a deep breath and quickly, yet gently, removed her dress. He was relived that she wore undergarments.

The prince quickly set to work to clean her blood stained skin, desperately trying not to concentrate on her lack of clothes. He took the wash cloth and dipped it into the steaming pail of water. After thoroughly squeezing it he carefully cleaned Katara's injury. As he gently cleaned the wound, Katara began to shift uncomfortably, reacting to the pain in her arm. Zuko stroked her forehead gently before continuing to erase the crimson stain. Once finished, he took fresh bandages and carefully wrapped her shoulder and secured the cloth.

Deciding that the girl needed to be dressed for bed, he went to the parcels of her clothing, and rummaged through them till he found a heavy blue nightgown. Zuko lifted Katara so she was resting against his kneeling body. He gently pulled the gown over her head and softly slipped her arms into the loose cotton sleeves. Once finished, Zuko returned her to the bed and tucked her in.

For a while, Zuko allowed himself to sit beside her and watch her sleep. On its own will, his hand reached out to tenderly stroke her cheek. Even in her pained state he had to admit, she was beautiful. There was a strong temptation for him to just lie down with her and capture her in his arms, but Zuko resisted it. Now was definitely not the time for that behavior.

Instead the prince rose to prepare himself for his own sleep. Zuko quickly bathed before changing into his nightwear, which only consisted of a pair of soft burgundy trousers. He plopped himself down against the wall beside the futon and pulled his warm quilt over his body. He slowly sipped the tea the servant had brought, ignoring the food. The prince gazed upon his prisoner until soft sleep plunged him into darkness.

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Katara's cerulean eyes slowly opened to a crimson room, her surroundings were warm and comforting. Katara was strongly tempted to lie in the soft bed but her stomach said otherwise. It cried its protests, persuading her to get up to find it food. Reluctantly she sat up, leaving the insulated covers behind. Hot piercing pain shot through her shoulder, urgently reminding her that she was injured. She leaned on the wall and rubbed her eyes to focus them. Katara looked at her right arm and tried to move it. As she did, it began to throb violently.

She soon discovered her right arm would be virtually useless, and that would be a huge problem. She was right handed. How would she manage her daily tasks? Using any form of utensil would become a difficult chore, as would a number of things. Katara heaved a sigh; this wouldn't make her situation any easier. She slowly edged her way out of the bed using her left hand to support her. Walking over to the bundles of clothing, Katara picked through them to find a pair of loose fitting cotton trousers and a long sleeved, buttoned shirt that stopped at her mid thighs. Its collar, along with the bottom of the shirt, was heavily embroidered with white fabric.

She folded her nightgown the best she could and placed it on the bench. She noticed that her old clothes were there as well, and still dirty. The young waterbender then glanced over to the unmade futon. She shook her head knowing that this time it would have to stay a mess for she was in no condition to straighten it. A small white cloth in the corner of it caught her attention. Katara went to the bed again and picked it up. It was a sling for her arm! Zuko must have left it there, for her.

Wait… Katara clearly did not remember falling asleep with a nightgown on or with clean injuries. Was Zuko the one responsible for that? Katara shuddered at the thought, Zuko seeing her partially nude with her unconscious. She was definitely going to question him about that later. Katara left the room and allowed her feet to wander aimlessly around the ship, somehow managing to lead her to the deck.

Outside, a grey blanket covered the sky. The sun and all of its rays were not able to penetrate the cloudy barrier. Strong gusts of wind pushed against Katara, threatening to lift her into the sea. Katara leaned into the wind and walked over to the railing. There wasn't any land in sight. Grey clouds and water seemed to stretch endlessly. The environment lowered Katara's spirit. The cold air seemed to rip through her lungs causing her to cough a couple of times before her breathing returned to normal. Suddenly a firm hand grabbed her wrist. Katara whipped her head around and saw the young fire prince behind her.

"What are you doing out here?" he yelled loudly, his voice fiercely battling the sound of the wind.

He didn't wait for Katara to answer, not that she was going to anyway. Instead he pulled her inside of the ship. When they were under the iron door he continued.

"You could have gotten sick out there!"

Katara looked at him with curiosity "Why do you care?"

"Because," he stammered seemingly taken aback by her question, "Because if you get sick and die, who will I have to bribe the Avatar with?"

Those words seemed to tear Katara in half though she barely knew why. "Oh." She whispered softly, lowering her gaze.

Katara barely heard him softly sigh before saying, "Are you hungry?"

She nodded her head, and followed him idly to the dining room. Her mind thought heavily on his words. It wasn't the fact that her friend and brother were in danger that hurt the most; it was the fact that he... that boy… he didn't…Katara shook her head at what she was thinking. Since when did she care about Zuko's feelings toward her? He was her enemy, plain and simple, but… but it wasn't that simple.

Somewhere between the time of her capture and now, her feelings changed towards him. Maybe it was because they spent a lot of time together, maybe it was those uncomfortable words he had said in the kitchen, maybe it was when he held her close, or maybe it was when he saved her from those men. She pushed her confusing thoughts to the back of her mind. What mattered most was her freedom because if she was free, Zuko couldn't blackmail Aang, and her friend, her brother, and the world would be much safer.

Katara took a seat at the table in the dining room while Zuko called for a servant. The prince sat across from her, his gaze, everywhere but on her.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked

"Fine."

"And your face?"

Her face? She had forgotten that she had been hit there. She tenderly rubbed her swollen cheek slightly wincing at the pain that it gave.

"It still hurts a bit" she murmured

A servant brought out a platter of eggs, rice and fruit for her. Katara began to slowly eat, struggling with the utensil in her left hand.

"You were asleep for about four days." Zuko said

Katara said nothing to him. She sat quietly on the cushion and ate her food. _If he still thinks of me as a pawn, a prisoner; then I'll just treat him accordingly, as the enemy_. She thought bitterly

"Why are you after Aang?" Katara asked her eyes fixed on the eggs she was poking.

"It's none of your business." He stated, anger seeping into his voice.

"Well it obviously is if you're going to use me against him."

"What makes you think I have to tell a mere prisoner anything?" he shouted

She glared at him, got up from her pillow and began to leave the room. Right now, she felt that she couldn't bear to be in his presence.

"Where are _you _going!" He bellowed

"What does it look like genius? I'm leaving!" she retorted

Zuko angrily rose and stomped across the room. He grabbed Katara by her uninjured arm and pulled her back towards the table

"You're not going anywhere!" he ordered

Katara fiercely kicked while screaming "Let me go!" Her wound, reopened and blood began to penetrate her clothing

"Stop fighting!" he roared.

Like hell she would! Katara continued her assault desperately trying to get away from him.

"Why don't you ever listen to me!" he snarled

"Why should I listen to a spoiled, bossy, uncaring, arrogant, brat like you!" she angrily countered.

Her words seemed to pierce him. Zuko released his grasp from her arm. Katara saw that this was her chance to escape; she heatedly began to walk out of the room. She hadn't got farther than the doorway before a hand seized her arm, spun her around, and forced her violently against the wall. A fist swiftly flew toward her. Katara immediately cringed and snapped her eyes shut. A heavy 'thud' was heard above her head. Cautiously, she reopened her eyes and saw a furious Zuko in front of her. His forearm rested upon the wall above her head, his body uncomfortably close to her own. Zuko's golden eyes glared down at her trembling form. This was truly one of his more intimidating sides.

"Who do _you_ think you are judging me?" he hissed

Katara let her gaze fall to the ground. She knew she had really struck a nerve.

"Look at me!" he ordered while grabbing her by her chin and forcing her head to face his. "How dare you pass judgment on me? It was I who saved you from certain death and you dare judge me!"

Her eyes shifted to the side. Guilt plagued Katara's mind in uncomfortable waves.

"I'm sorry Zuko, it's just that I…"

"You what?"

"I still can't trust you."

"Why not?"

There was a stupid question. "You're my enemy." She explained.

A thick moment of silence passed between them causing Katara to feel a little edgy. That prince was formulating something in his mind, but what?

"Katara," he began, moving his hand from her chin to cup her cheek. "The other day you had said you hated me and my kin. What is it that we did that angered you so?"

He had said it sincerely enough that she might have answered, but instead she allowed her face to twist into a scowl. She was not going to let him talk her into spilling her past events, not now, not ever.

"It doesn't concern _you_" she spat.

"It obviously does if it causes you to hate me." Zuko replied. "Look at me Katara, what happened? I can already tell that this issue has been eating away at you for sometime no matter how much you try to stuff it down."

Damn, this guy was good. He was reading her like an open book and it did nothing for her nerves. Katara could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Why couldn't he just leave her be?

"Why don't y-"

"Katara," Zuko fixed her with a no nonsense glare which made her feel so exposed. "Tell me."

It was unavoidable now, his constant persistence, and his intense gaze. Katara could feel the words rolling off her tongue before she could even stop herself.

"When I was little, that damned nation of yours raided my village. I can still remember the flames that engulfed the huts. My mother, my mother fought her best to try and protect us from those men, but she couldn't…" At this point tears flowed freely from her eyes, as her body shuddered at the memories.

"I…she…my mother….she…." Katara's voice was completely cracked by the overwhelming anguish.

Before she knew what had happened she found herself engulfed in Zuko's embrace. His hand moved in rhythmic circles on her back, in effort to pacify her.

"Sshh...It's alright." He soothed. "Katara, I'm sorry, but I had nothing to do with that."

"I know, it just that, you're the prince of the Fire Nation." She sniffed.

"That may be so," he began. "But can you truly blame every single one of my people for your mother's death?"

"Yes" she childishly pouted before rethinking. "No."

"I didn't think so." Zuko gently wiped a tear off her face and she lifted her eyes to his in response. "Katara, don't make me suffer from my father's mistakes. If there is anyone who deserves your hate it's him."

Katara took a deep breath and processed his statement. He had made her feel so foolish to blame him for the mistakes of his father. She had to admit, he was right, Ozai was to blame for her mother's death, not him. Zuko had been a child when her mother had died and had nothing to do with the situation.

"I'm sorry Zuko…I don't hate or blame you for what happened. You were the first Fire Nation solider I had seen since the raid and therefore unjustly received my hate. I'm sorry."

Zuko curled her into his embrace. "Thank you Katara."

Katara softly nodded in response. She allowed her eyes to drift shut to his comforting touch and slowly leaned into him, giving in to his hold. She placed her head on his warm chest while sliding her arm around his body. If he had been startled by her compliance she didn't notice. Shortly after she had accepted the embrace she felt one of his hands slide around her waist, pulling her closer to him while the other gently caressed her head. Some part of Katara said that this wasn't right, to be hugging her supposed enemy, but at the moment he just didn't feel like her enemy. The two remained that way for a long time, neither of them truly wanting to end the moment.

"Come on, let's get your shoulder cleaned up." He soothed.

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Zuko led her through the halls to the infirmary while never taking his arm from her waist. It was a small metallic room. In one corner was a huge cabinet with a chair next to it. A barrel of fresh water was next to a little metal table. Zuko gently guided Katara into the chair before going through the cabinets to find fresh bandages and a washcloth. He then took a metal pail and scooped water into it until it was half full. Zuko held the pail in his hands and created a flame under it, quickly bringing the water to a slight boil. He placed the pail down next to Katara. He was surprised that she had already removed the bandages from her wound and had discarded them in a nearby bin.

Zuko then dipped the cloth in the water and began to clean her injury. Zuko was beginning to think that the arrow had been poisonous. He knew that her body required more sleep. Her wound wasn't healing the best it could and with the added emotional stress he was surprised that she didn't collapse on her own.

"Zuko…" she started.

Not wanting her to break the companionable silence with an inappropriate question or comment, he placed a finger on her mouth and shook his head, silently sending her the message, 'don't speak'

After cleaning, Zuko gently rubbed a salve onto her injury before re-bandaging her shoulder and standing up. He grabbed a small tea cup and scooped water into it. He then rummaged through the cupboard and grabbed various leaves and some powder. He put the mixture in a small tea strainer and brought the water to a boil using firebending. Once the cup was steaming, he handed it to Katara.

"Drink this, it will help you feel better" he explained

Katara took the cup and slowly sipped the sweet liquid. Zuko watched her expectantly waiting for the 'tea' to kick in. Katara stood up and looked quizzically at Zuko with hooded lids. She took a few dizzied steps towards the prince who pulled her into his chest.

"Wh..what…did..you..d..do?" she softly murmured

Katara fell forward into Zuko who swept her up into her arms and took her to his room. He laid her back down on his futon and pulled the covers over her body. Zuko stroked her face and removed stray strands of her hair that covered her face and stared at the sleeping girl admiring her. She truly was strong if she could walk around the ship unaided, go through a highly emotional event and still stand all the while with injury. If he hadn't drugged her, Zuko doubted that she would have lied down on her own and probably would have opted to wander the ship instead to collapse somewhere unknown.

The prince couldn't bring himself to be annoyed with her hardheadedness. Instead he was amused. This girl would ignore her own bodily needs and plunge headfirst into stressful situations. Recklessness he noted was one of her traits that and forgiveness. The prince had nearly been shocked at the rate she had forgiven him for his family's mistakes. Now, she was returning his affection and that was a thing to consider but unfortunately now was not the time to mull that enticing thought over, he had chores to do. Zuko wistfully gazed at her, and on an impulse bent over her slumbering figure to place a soft kiss on her warm cheek before leaving the room to continue his duties.

* * *

**A/N: ** Yay! Another chapter out and done :D. This chapter took a while because The first part was added from the last chapter since the last chapter was getting too long. So I had to meld the end of the last chapter with this one so the story would still flow. As of now I can't decide if I like the way Zuko is or not. I've made him extra smooth but he still is a butt. And poor Katara keeps getting beat up. Hopefully I'll update soon, but in the meantime Read n Review:D


	11. Tempest High

Chapter 11: Tempest High

Streaks of light ripped through the blackened skies with rolling thunder bellowing in its wake. Ferocious winds battled aggressively with a struggling flying Appa. Harsh rains pelted his riders while the black ocean crashed and curled beneath them. Sokka sat on Appa's head, gripping the reigns for dear life while his friend desperately clutched the saddle, trying to hang on.

"Sokka this is madness! We need to land!" Aang yelled, his voice desperately fighting the wind's howling scream.

"No! If we land, then Zuko's ship will be twice as far from us tomorrow!"

Sokka was determined to rescue his sister, damn the odds! It had been over a week since he had last seen his younger sibling and at this point Sokka was hell bent on reuniting with his captured family member. Sokka would make Zuko pay dearly for taking his sister away from him. Only the stars knew what he was doing to her. The young warrior couldn't believe Aang's statement that the prince wouldn't harm Katara.

"His ship won't be going too far! Even he couldn't travel in this storm!"

"How do _you_ know that?!" The warrior argued.

"I just know! Trust me Sokka we'll get Katara back, but what good is it flying a bison if he's too tired to move? After the storm Appa will need days to recover!"

The bison groaned in agreement while dodging a bolt of lightning. Sokka frowned at his friend's advice, partly because he knew the boy was right. Unfortunately his sister would have to wait. _Hold on Katara…_ he thought wistfully. He then turned the reigns of the beast and headed for the neighboring Earth Kingdom continent.

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The Fire Nation prince sat beside his futon where a sleeping Katara resided. Zuko placed his cool hand on her flushed face. Her breathing was labored and she had a terrible fever. He had tried to get her to eat but her food never stayed down and without food, no medicine could be administered to the ailing girl. His uncle had given her herbal healing teas but they showed little signs of improving the girl's health. The best Zuko could do was place a cold compress on her scorching head.

Never in his life did he feel so helpless. He couldn't do anything to help her. The boy hadn't slept for days because his concern for Katara often left him awake. Something had gone wrong in the healing process of her arm. Zuko firmly believed that it was the source of her sickness. Zuko was almost positive that the arrow had indeed been poisonous. He gently stoked her hand as coughs began to heave her chest. The prince stood up and walked to his door. Outside, a servant patiently sat fiddling his thumbs.

"You there, make sure you constantly change her compress and if any change in her health appears call me immediately!" Zuko ordered brusquely

"Yes sir!"

Zuko watched the boy scurry into the room to take care of the sick girl. The prince observed the servant briefly before making his way through the corridors to the bridge. Iroh sat calmly on a pillow, studying the pai sho board before him, along with three other crewmen. The helmsmen struggled with the wheel, the storm outside had made traveling conditions dreadful. Zuko walked past his uncle and took an Earth Kingdom map from one of the cupboards.

"Uncle, would you take your stupid game somewhere else?!" The prince yelled.

"Hold on Prince Zuko, I am in a very compromising position." The old general answered his eyes studying the board with great scrutiny.

"Uncle we don't have time for this!"

"Why are you in such a hurry young prince?"

Zuko's eyes furiously flashed at his uncle. "Katara is ill and we need to get her to the doctor!"

"Zuko," his uncle began, looking up into the boy's eyes "If you haven't noticed we are in the middle of a storm! Our traveling efforts have been reduced to a minimum. The helmsman is already struggling to keep our ship above water! How can you expect him to steer towards land in such a tempest?" he reasoned

"I don't care!" the prince retorted.

"Why is this so urgent to you?"

"If she dies then it will be much harder for me to obtain the Avatar!" he shot back.

"Is that the only reason?" Iroh asked, giving his nephew a skeptical eye.

Zuko broke his uncle's gaze. He couldn't explain why, but for some reason he felt like he _needed_ Katara to get better and not for the excuse he had just given his uncle. The young prince had somehow grown attached to Katara. He felt that it was his responsibility to make sure that she was happy and well. After all that his nation had put her through, it was the very least he could do. The fact that he could do little to help her in this situation frustrated him even the more. Zuko threw the map at his uncle and stormed out the room. Iroh lovingly smiled at his young nephew and chuckled, he knew exactly what the prince's other reason was. The witty general had only tried to talk his nephew into admitting it.

Zuko returned to his room and dismissed the servant. He returned to his sitting pillow beside his bed. The prince gazed upon Katara's sleeping face, a mixture a peace and confusion blended haphazardly. What was his other reason that caused him to care for her? Frustration clouded his weary mind while dozens of questions bombarded his conscience. His eyes closed under the heavy strain. Why was a noble prince such as himself helping a worthless peasant? Why should he worry about her well being? What had she ever done for him? She was his enemy! She was the Avatars companion! She had ruined his plans of capturing the Avatar countless times! Why was he helping _her_?

His golden eyes opened to fall upon the girl in question and suddenly all the answers seemed to flood him. Her gentle face reminded him of all she was. Katara was one of the few who could properly challenge his authority without suffering dire consequences. She possessed both beauty and grace without being airy like many of the other noble women he was accustomed to. Her strength at times could even cause him to shrink in fear. And her looks…Zuko inhaled reflectively at the thought of her subtle curves, chocolate skin and piercing crystal eyes. She was truly beautiful in every way.

Zuko chuckled softly to himself. Even in her sickly condition, she was able to calm him. He replaced the warm rag on her forehead with a cooler one and lay down next to her so he could clearly see her face. Zuko lay on his side resting his head on his bent arm. He took her warm hand and lazily caressed it. Zuko was so tired, so very tired. The lack of sleep had caught up to him and slowly was dragging him to unconsciousness. He distantly cursed himself for lying down. The last thing he saw was her angelic face before drifting into a deep sleep.

Streams of sunlight shined brightly upon Fire Nation's prince, causing him to rouse from his troubled sleep. His eyes groggily opened to focus upon a pale Katara. His spirits immediately lowered as he assessed her health. The water bender's breathing was still heavy and her skin wore a thin sheen of sweat. Violent coughs rocked her body and Zuko immediately rushed closer to her, but sadly could find no way to ease the pained girl. It felt as if his heart were split in two to watch idly while she suffered while he could do nothing. Zuko wiped her head with a cloth, moving her plastered hair from her face. Zuko suddenly noticed the ship was not moving, the engines had been cut, but that only happened when they were on land! Zuko bolted from the room but not without ordering a sleeping servant to look after the girl. The prince rushed onto deck to be greeted with small town. Rays of light were peeking through the clouded sky. It seemed as if the worst of the storm was over. The sailors were still docking the ship meaning that they had stopped not to long ago. Zuko found his uncle standing by the exit ramp, observing the sailors progress. The prince quickly paced over to his humming uncle.

"Good morning Prince Zuko!" the man greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uncle, when did you…"

"I asked the helmsman to change course the moment the storm broke." he cheerily replied.

It was times like this that made Zuko truly appreciate his uncle. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome! Now, I suspect this ramp will be down as soon as you come back with Katara!" he hinted with a wink.

Zuko nodded and turned on his heels returning below deck to his room. Zuko rummaged through Katara's clothing before deciding on a heavy coat to dress her in. With gentleness that would have surprised anyone, Zuko carefully raised Katara up so she leaning against the width of his chest. A few sickly moans of protest were voiced from her along with a cough or two.

"Hold on Katara, we're getting you to the doctors." He reassured, though more to himself than her.

Zuko quickly yet tenderly slipped Katara's limp arms through the thick sleeves of the coat before buttoning it up and placing the fur lined hood over her head. He then scooped her into his arms letting her head loll on to his chest. She shifted a bit in his grasp and her hand clutched his shirt similar to the way an infant would. He smiled softly at her movement before leaving the room and returning to his uncle. Just as Iroh had predicted, the ramp was down and secured.

"Let's go prince Zuko! We don't want your friend to get any sicker!" Iroh called. The man was on the dock waving for his nephew to follow with a servant behind him. While walking down the ramp, Zuko noticed a few village folks were leaving his Uncle.

Zuko joined his uncle and Iroh led them through the town towards the village doctor. The town was bustling with life. The inhabitants were walking in and out of wooden buildings, while others walked the streets. Many people stopped and stared at Zuko and the girl he was holding. Katara coughed a couple of times and her body convulsed causing a look of deep concern to creep on to the prince's face.

"We're almost there." Iroh soothed in an effort to comfort his nephew.

They finally stopped in front of a clay house, smoke rose from its small chimney. Iroh knocked politely on the wooden door. Light shuffles were heard inside the house. A man opened the door and looked curiously at his visitors. He was clad in a tan robe that was tied tightly around his waist; brown trousers and a cream shirt were almost hidden underneath it. His green eyes looked upon the three with interest

"Are you the village doctor?" Iroh inquired

"Yes I am. How can I help you?" the doctor kindly asked

Zuko stepped forward so the doctor could see the pale Katara clearly. "She's sick"

The doctor studied the girl briefly, "Quickly bring her inside!" He motioned the group into his home

The interior smelled of medicinal herbs and was comfortably warm. A small cot sat in the side of the room with a nightstand next to it. Zuko carefully laid Katara on the cot before backing away. The doctor returned to the room with a small bag.

"What are her symptoms?" he urgently asked.

"Nausea, violent coughing, high fever, and cold sweat. She also has a deep gash on her right arm." Zuko immediately replied.

The doctor rubbed his chin and took a small vial from his bag. He sat Katara up and put it to her lips. She began to drink the cool liquid some of it drizzling down the side of her chin. The doctor then left her and began rummaging through his cabinets, selectively picking out leaves and herbs. Iroh put a hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"Come nephew, let us wait outside. We don't want to get in the doctors way!" he suggested

Zuko reluctantly let his uncle guide him out of the room. He sat on the steps tapping his foot nervously. Iroh leaned on the side of the home humming merrily while his servant stared absentmindedly into space. Hours passed by before the doctor came outside. The sun was setting and the remaining clouds began to glow orange. Zuko immediately stood up in his presence his golden eyes studying the man's face for any indication of good news.

"There is nothing I can do for her…" he wearily said. "But there is another healer in a small village nearby. She has much more experience than me, I am certain that she will be able to help your friend."

Zuko felt a heavy weight drop in his heart. They would have to travel now? What if they didn't make it to the village in time to heal Katara? What if she…no, failure was not an option. Zuko would have to get her to the village by any means necessary. Iroh whispered something to his servant who then ran speedily down the road. The old general saw the conflicting emotions behind Zuko's eyes and quickly continued the conversation before his hot-headed nephew got his chance.

"Where is the village?" he calmly asked

"It's north of here. If you follow the path from the end of the town you'll find it easily. It's a two day journey. You will have to hurry though, her condition is worsening by the minute."

Zuko violently punched the wall of the house, leaving a cracked dent. The doctor looked bewildered, never in his career did the victim's family or friends harm him or his things, and here the boy had just damaged his home!

"Here are five gold pieces for your services" Iroh interjected quickly "I believe that this will be more than enough."

The man wasn't sure if he should be more shocked at the dent in his wall or the amount of gold in his hands.

"Zuko, please go get your friend. You heard the doctor, time is of the essence!" his uncle calmly said.

The prince nodded and entered the man's home. Katara was lying on the cot, her cheeks flushed and she was sweating heavily. Zuko carefully cradled the girl in his arms, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head. She gave a sickly moan and moved a bit before lying still. Zuko didn't know how much more of this he could take. Seeing her so sickly was torturing his soul, especially since he could do little to ease her pain. Zuko quickly carried the girl out of the home and to his surprise two komodo rhino's waiting for them. His uncle had already mounted his beast and was patiently waiting for his nephew to do the same. Zuko quickly climbed into his saddle with Katara in his arms.

"Good luck you guys…" the doctor said, with a look of concern deeply set in his face

Zuko snapped the reigns of the beast below him eliciting a bellow from the animal and began a full gallop down the road towards the forest, with Iroh following in his path.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to update, college is BLEEP! I have so much flippen work to do that it's not even funny but I love it. Speaking of love, I hope you guys loved this chapter, please read n' review!**


	12. DISCONTINUED

6/09/07

I'm sorry to say but I'm ending the production of this fic. The reason I stopped was because the plotline was too unoriginal for my liking. I also got caught up with another one of my fics where the plot is far more unique to this one. I apologize for this but I didn't want to kill my brain cells rewriting a plot that has already been written.

-Weaver of Dreams.


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